Lee Ann Womack: comfortingly 80s-retro amid all this sleek elegance.


Kelly Pickler embraces the glitter trend to stunning, deco effect!


Robin Roberts may not be reinventing the wheel, but sometimes "Lady in Red" elegance is hard to top.


LeAnn Rimes also rocks bombshell - and works it. (Even after Labor Day.)


Kind of in awe of how totally balls-out Martina McBride's Grecian-princess-infanta-Barbie fantasia is!


This level of understated chic may disappoint those secretly hoping for hairspray and sequins - but it's hard to argue with Faith Hill.


Kimberly Williams Paisley (she's married to country singer Brad) goes slightly Haight - but keeps it totally elegant. Can we get some sequins?!


Thank you, Reba - even if this is concert-hall-understated.


Vintage Nicole Kidman: empire-waisted and vivid. Personally, I love. (Beside the middle-school nails.) What say you?


Seriously: Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles is totally Oscar-ready. In fact, screw the Oscars; the CMAs are apparently where it's at.


While minis and pansies aren't exactly what we had in mind, Ashley Monroe's getup is still - although. technically, ill-judged - a welcome hit of festivity!


I love that Taylor Swift has made high-glam Glinda her thing, casting herself as a beautiful, innocent Good Witch! And this is flat-out lovely.


Hm. Michelle Branch's space-age Egyptian Shumba is not the sort of glitz we had in mind - although a hit of color is refreshing.


I'm still getting used to the "Klimt" trend, as we know, but Carrie Underwood is balm to my glitter-hungry soul!


Wow, even the normally gaudy Nancy O'Dell has toned it down and classed it up. (Yes, I still hold Wendy/Austin against her.)


Am seriously considering forcing bridesmaids to wear exact replicas of Diana DeGarmo's frock - because I can. But don't know if I can afford the karmic price.


Normally, Patricia Heaton, legs or cleavage is a good rule of thumb. But hey, go for it.


If loving Hillary Scott's Grecian is wrong, I don't want to be right. (She's of Lady Antebellum.)


Jimmy Dickens keeps it real.


The Future.

[Images via Getty]

The Good:


Reba looks totally elegant in black velvet.


Jewel restores dignity to her home state!


Trace Adkins does classic country right!


Carrie Underwood's dress might be a bit much at another event — belt, looking at you — but here, I dig it.


Sometimes only total bombshell will do, as Kellie Pickler knows.


The strangely ubiquitous Taylor Swift does 30's glamour.


In Julianne Hough's case "good" means "uncannily like a Barbie dress!"


I am so torn between Shania Twain's cute, basic frock and goofy shoes!

The Bad:
On the one hand, Reese looks amazing. On the other hand, this Nancy Reagan special feels a little "CMA costume"-y.


Even were Miley Cyrus old enough to pull this off, it'd be unfortunate.


Nicole Kidman looks kinda sad and severe, no?


Lee Ann Womack's ombre is unhappy.


Sarah Buxton's outfit would have struck me as a very good idea when I was 13. And I was not a well-dressed 13-year-old, just very aggressively "quirky."


Sarah Buxton's second outfit: Ricky's called. It wants its Moulin Rouge costume back.

[Images via Getty]

Please welcome guest blogger Lesley Arfin, who will be doing much of our fashion coverage this week. Her first assignment? The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, in which she is thrown into the lion's den that is country "couture".

Last night the Academy of Country Music Awards were held in the city that most reminds us of country music...Las Vegas! (Warning: I don't know who 97% of these people are. Whatever though, it's the country music awards, are we really supposed to?) I was looking forward to BIG country hair and BIG country jewels and BIG country boobs, but instead we got new country, which is a little bit rock 'n roll, and little bit snooze. Although Nicole and Keith made beautiful sartorial music, ladies like Laura Bryan and Maureen McCormick weren't quite able to sort it out. Where's Dolly when you need her? The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly of the Academy of Country Music Awards, after the jump.

The Good


Nicole Kidman's baby looks so hot in this photo. It's like a surprise wrapped in a gift wrapped in near perfection.

This sassy number is country music appropriate.

A strapping suit, a lot of giggles, and a little bit of bald=my type of man.

I like this dress and even though it's weirdly too big, at least it doesn't make me yawn.

Karolina Kurkova looks happy and sexy and also minty.

Something tells me Ryan Kwanten has a gentle southern twang and that something is called love.

I ain't mad at a lil country dazzle.
The Bad

Chuck Wicks doesn't look that bad (albeit a tad Gossip Girl) but what's with his "tie?" He's like, way too casual about not having a tie and it just being...a string? I think not my friend. (We'd never be friends).

Snoozefest.org

Boringsville.her

Oh shit, someone accidentally silkscreened an Aztec placemat onto Fisher Stevenson's shirt. Do you think he knows?

It's funny how I liked that green dress but not this blue one. Life is funny like that sometimes.

I understand the concept behind this dress, like "I'm gonna wow them with red!" but it's not wowing, it's hurting. Sorry.

The Ugly

I wonder which stylist told Laura Bryan it was ok to wear her crushed velvet Victoria's Secret pajamas to an awards show?

Maureen McCormick looks a little too Grimmace-esque in this number.

This dress is like a cloud mixed with feathers mixed with not good. I actually made this dress. Just kidding.

If you're lookin' at country, you're definitely NOT looking at "Hollywood" Don. Yes, that's his name.

The Good:
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban = hot shit.
Carrie Underwood's dress is not bad, but a little boring.
Is it wrong that I have two American Idol alums in a row in the "Good" category? Mazel tov, Diana diGarmo.
Jewel!
LeAnn Rimes: You look good.
When did Marcia Brady become a MILF?
I love Miley Cyrus' dress, but I think she is way too young to be wearing it.

The Bad:
Aimee Mayo's name makes me giggle; her outfit makes me frown.
Ditto for "Big Kenny" and "Christiev".
When I was 5, I loved Crystal Gale.
Sara Evans scores a double "oy".
Laura Bell Bundy is starring in Legally Blonde: The Musical. Elle Woods wouldn't be caught dead in this dress.
Paula Abdul: Now starring in Kiss of the Spider Woman?

The Ugly:
Why is Faith HIll dressed as Stevie Nicks?
Did Naomi Judd borrow George Clooney's girlfriend's Oscar dress?

[Images via Getty.]