Kelly Clarkson on American Song Contest

Mandatory Credit: Photo by CraSH/imageSPACE/Shutterstock (12891271ao) Kelly Clarkson 'American Song Contest', Week Four, Universal City, California, USA - 11 Apr 2022

You know I love gold lamé, but I'm never a fan of the neck harness, so this might be a wash.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/Shutterstock (12881156y) Kelly Clarkson NBC's 'American Song Contest', Arrivals, Los Angeles, California, USA - 04 Apr 2022

I don't know if these are the things she's actually wearing on the show, or if she changes for the telecast. This definitely has the look of Make It Big and Sparkly For The Home Viewer.

in Balmain

Mandatory Credit: Photo by AFF-USA/Shutterstock (12872381b) Kelly Clarkson NBC 'American Song Contest' Live Series, Los Angeles, California, USA - 28 Mar 2022

Okay, I don't know what's happening here. The credit is Balmain, but it feels thrown together from disparate things they had on the rack that didn't work on their own.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock (12859995s) Kelly Clarkson NBC 'American Song Contest' Live Series, Red Carpet, Los Angeles, California, USA - 04 Apr 2022

This has an energy that reminds me of her legendary Big Band Night performance of "Stuff Like That There," which is really where I think American Idol became hers to lose. But I think it needs to lean into that and be tea length, at least.