The Grammys 2026 red carpet delivered loads, but nothing quite broke the internet like Chappell Roan’s n*pple-pierced outfit, but how does the dress actually work?
Chappell arrived wearing a sheer burgundy Mugler gown that appeared to be hanging from… her n*pples. The look was actually a modern recreation of a very famous 1998 Mugler design, originally created by Thierry Mugler himself. Back then, models wore the dress suspended from real nipple rings.
Fast-forward to 2026, and things are slightly different. For one, live TV has rules. Also, Chappell understandably did not want an actual n*pple mishap broadcast to millions of people worldwide.
So, how did Chappell Roan’s risqué outfit actually work?
No wonder everyone’s talking about Chappell Roan tonight.
Her dress is literally hooked onto her nipple piercings.
I guess that’s one way to make an entrance.
Source: @ianmiles pic.twitter.com/8LdWLInnYL
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 2, 2026
Chappell Roan was wearing prothestics. She wore ultra-realistic silicone n*pple covers that perfectly matched her skin tone. These acted as both coverage and structure. The silver “n*pple rings” you see were attached through the prosthetics, not through her actual body.
If you look closer, you can just about spot tiny wrinkles around the edge of the silicone. So, her real n*pples were fully covered, taped, protected, and minding their own business. The dress only looked like it was hanging from her body directly, which is kind of the whole point.
People online had loads to say. Some were genuinely baffled with one person asking, “Very confused where her areolas are.”
Someone else said, “Ok this is risqué but I kinda dig it. It’s an illusion, I don’t understand how they did it. Like a nude cover up, but it’s too seamless.”
Another wrote, “I scientifically don’t understand what’s happening—art! lol.”
One other person joked, “All I’m envisioning is the pain when somebody steps on her dress.” Um, fair.
The outfit also sparked conversations about archive fashion, censorship, the male gaze, and why the Grammys red carpet is still the place to go absolutely feral with a look.
Well, Chappell Roan owned it, and all other naked dresses, you may step aside.
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