Cee Lo's Stylist Reveals Inspiration Behind Grammy Outfit

Filed Under: Music Minute Fashion Smashion Gwyneth Paltrow Cee Lo

The fashion this past weekend at the Grammys was a combination of fabulous hits and a few fashion misses.

And then there was Cee Lo Green. Yes, how could you forget his rainbow-inspired peacock outfit surrounded by several muppets and joined by Gwyneth Paltrow?

And now Cee Lo’s stylist Shawn Barton reveals the inspiration for the feathers. Actually, we’re kind of surprised he has a stylist, though it turns out Barton has styled for other musicians like OutKast.

Check out the highlights from Barton’s interview with EW as she chats about the performance and wardrobe:

Where did this idea come from? Was it an homage to Elton John’s performance on The Muppets Show in the ’70s?
Absolutely. Cee Lo is a huge fan of Elton John. It was an homage to Elton. Cee Lo remembered that episode on The Muppets from when he was maybe about 5 years old.

How heavy was it?
It’s the lightest outfit ever. It was a jumpsuit, Velcro-ed in the front. The wings, he put those on like you would a backpack. Then it was the chain metal-mirror headpiece. It all fit in a flat box. The heaviest thing was maybe the headpiece. I would say that weighed about 12 pounds. The reaction from people was priceless because he didn’t rehearse in the costume. Everyone else was rehearsing in their costumes, but he had on a T-shirt and flip flops. So when he walked out [in the costume], it was, “Oh damn!” He owned it. Everyone literally stopped what they were doing and cheered. It was the greatest thing ever.

How did the Muppets’ costumes come about?
I also helped with designing the costumes of the Muppets. A couple of times I had to go down to Jim Henson’s studio to see the puppets as they were being constructed. Once we had an idea of what our color was going to be, I met with Brian Henson [son of the late Jim Henson] and shared with him what we were going to be doing. I don’t know if you could see, but Piddles the dog wore a diaper. When I sent Brian a photo of the direction we were going, then he came up with the idea of doing something to copy what he was wearing. So I said, “Why don’t we do the same feathers?” I thought that was genius.

Check out more from the interview after the jump to find out her thoughts on Gwyneth's outfit and to learn which celeb was cheering from backstage.

What do U think of Cee Lo's outfit for the performance?

Did you have a part in Gwyneth’s outfit?
Gwyneth Paltrow’s stylist reached out to me, and I let her know what we were doing. I also sent her stylist a photo. I originally thought she was going to be wearing something different because we came up with a [different] color for her to wear. Originally it was going to be a crimson red jumpsuit. Looking back, I liked that she ended up wearing black. It worked well with what we were doing. I thought she looked absolutely gorgeous. And the shoes. Ow! I saw the rehearsal, and she handled it like a pro.

The coolest thing was being backstage. Beyonce watched it with us. She was so excited for her friend [Paltrow]. It was the cutest thing ever. It was so one of the moments when you’re like, “Aw BFF love!” Beyonce was so happy for her. She gave her a big hug, and we all had a moment. It was one of those backstage moments that you’ll always remember.

We all were so excited because originally Cee Lo wasn’t going to get up [from the piano bench] and I was like, “Gosh you have to get up — at least to show the whole outfit!” When he got up, I’m surprised he didn’t hear my screaming onstage. I was so excited, like “Yes! He got up!” That was enough for me. I could’ve gone home for that one. We did not expect him to get up. That was the best moment ever.

What can you tell us about what we’ll see Cee Lo in next?
We’re doing the Brits and it’s James Bond-inspired. We’re going from the over-the-top feather piece of last night to less flamboyant tomorrow. Cee Lo’s got a range and isn’t afraid to push the envelope. The whole plane ride over to London, we were talking the whole time: “What about this?” and “What about that?” It’s cool to have a crew of people that appreciate their art. We have some really exciting things I can’t talk about because they’re percolating in the creative pot right now. If people were excited about what they saw last night, we’re about to take it to a whole other level of funk and coolness. I think people will be surprised by what Cee Lo has in store for people. He definitely isn’t afraid, and I’m talking outside his clothing. I’m talking about his creative mind, and where it can go.

Tags: design, fashion, feathers, interview, jumpsuit, outfit, shoes, style, stylist