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The Story Behind Billy Porter’s Remote-Controlled Grammys Hat

The moment we’ve waited for has finally arrived...Billy Porter stepped onto the Grammys red carpet. And as always, he did not disappoint. 

For the 62nd Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday (where Porter also presented), Porter and his stylist Sam Ratelle brought out the big guns—in the form of a remote-controlled hat. 

The Pose actor unveiled a custom Baja East by Scott Studenberg bright blue crystal fringe flared jumpsuit with matching cropped jacket and mechanically-retracting fringe bucket hat. The mechanical hat, made in collaboration with Sarah Sokol, is an amped-up continuation of the brand’s paparazzi-proof fringe bucket hats. Oh, and the complete look features 70,000 hand-placed crystals.

See his full look below.

billy porter
Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images

The inspiration behind the piece? Billie Elish. 

“Billy and Billie Eilish had a beautiful moment on the red carpet at the [American Music Awards] where they both gushed over each other's hats,” Ratelle told Vanity Fair. “Billie was wearing a Victorian-inspired beekeeper bonnet with netting covering her face. After the event, Billy jokingly told me he loved her look but after 30 years of working his way to Hollywood, ‘y'all are gonna see my face!’”

billy hat
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images