Brit Awards 2021: The best outfits from the red carpet and ceremony

Olly Alexander and dancers pictured before their performance of It's A Sin

There was no need for face masks or social distancing at Tuesday's Brit Awards, as the ceremony was part of a government live events trial examining how live music concerts might work post-Covid.

That meant the stars could turn up in person, accept their trophies in front of a live audience, and - most importantly - walk the red carpet.

Many took the opportunity to serve up some seriously stylish looks and make up for lost time after a year of largely virtual awards ceremonies.

Here are a few of the brightest and best.

Back in black

Presenter Maya Jama (left) joined nominated singers Jessie Ware (centre) and Celeste in opting for a black dress. Ware, who is pregnant, wore a flowing Valentino gown, while Celeste wore a fluffy black dress made from feathers, designed by Ashley Williams.

Jama, who was a presenter at the ceremony and co-hosted the pre-awards coverage on ITV2 with Clara Amfo, wore a bejewelled black dress with a Bulgari necklace.

Styles squared

Singer Harry Styles, who took home best single for Watermelon Sugar, was one of the best dressed of the night. He wore a square-patterned Gucci suit with shades of cream, orange and burgundy, adding a matching leather handbag and suede shoes to complete the look. Further proof, as if it were needed, that the former One Direction singer remains stylistically unparalleled.

Purple reign

Rina Sawayama served up an equally jaw-dropping look, wearing a light purple Balmain Couture dress. She looked incredible - and, given its size and the amount of fabric, you can understand why she needed help to carry the dress across the O2 when moving from her table.

Rising stars

Rising star winner Griff (left) and breakthrough artist Arlo Parks served up multiple looks at the Brit Awards, with both changing costume throughout the night.

These two outfits - Parks in a smart red suit and Griff in a pastel-blue dress with metal rings linking individual pieces of fabric - were our favourites. Griff complemented her outfit with Giovanni Raspini jewellery. They might have won "newcomer" categories, but both proved they are here to stay.

Lads lads lads

Has there been a finer and more enjoyable fashion moment than the "four lads in jeans" meme from the past year? No, there hasn't. It was therefore a stroke of genius for Jack Whitehall to get them to make a cameo appearance during the Brits.

The original picture of the lads was taken as they were preparing for a night out in Birmingham, and the photo went viral all over again last year during the sea shanty craze.

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Mad about the Boy

You can always rely on Boy George for colour and flamboyance and he did not disappoint. He wore his trademark hat, coloured pastel blue, with a purble and blue video game-style suit jacket.

Gold and green

Mabel (right) won best female solo artist at last year's Brit Awards, which took place just before the pandemic. She returned this year, wearing a beautiful lime green Tony Ward couture dress.

Meanwhile Lianne La Havas, one of the nominees in the same category this year, wore a gorgeous black and gold Schiaparelli dress.

Fix up, look sharp

Young T and Bugsey looked razor-sharp in their dark suits as they arrived on the red carpet. They later changed into something more casual for their performance with Headie One and AJ Tracey.

Boy in blue

Singer MNEK presented an award at the ceremony and was also nominated for best single for Head & Heart, his impossibly catchy song with Joel Corry.

On the red carpet he wore an oversized flowing blue pleated outfit that made him look like a god of the sea, complete with a Samantha Siu necklace.

Playing it casual

We're used to Lewis Capaldi dressing down a bit - last year's breakthrough artist winner isn't one for tuxes. Nick Grimshaw also shunned the suits, instead opting for black trousers, a white shirt and a ripped waistcoat.

Grimmy quite literally came straight from the office after finishing his Radio 1 drive-time show and gave a lesson to us all in how to pull off the ultimate smart-casual ensemble.

Taylor-made

"Spinning in my highest heels, luv," Taylor Swift posted on Instagram using her finest British lingo before she hit the red carpet.

The global icon winner wore a white sequined two-piece by Miu Miu.

Little Mix's Little Mixers

Whitehall joked at the ceremony that Little Mix's Perrie (left) and Leigh-Anne (right) were so in sync they even became pregnant at the same time. They joined their fellow bandmate Jade on the red carpet looking thoroughly heavenly in their white dresses.

Dua spice?

As iconic Brit outfits go, Geri Horner's Union Jack dress from 1997 would take some topping. Dua Lipa appeared to pay homage to the legendary Spice Girl with her proudly British outfit as she performed at the beginning of the show. She later went on to win two prizes at the ceremony.

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Watch more highlights from the red carpet: