2012 American Country Awards – Best Dressed

The American Country Awards took place last night (Dec. 10) in Las Vegas and an assortment of country stars, singers and actors were on hand to celebrate the genre.

We'll preface our Best Dressed lineup by saying there were a dearth of wow-inducing gowns and dresses, so nothing blew us away. The red carpet was sorely lacking in "oomph" factor and there were a lot of "meh" looks.

That said, some of country music's first ladies and more looked lovely in brightly colored dresses, so these were the best dressed of the lot.

Carrie Underwood rarely stumbles on the red carpet and we're not talking about her posture in heels. She is always "on" and looks lovely, and last night was no different. She shone in a short, sleeveless and shimmery peach frock. It was Vegas appropriate, too. She gets bonus points for the flapper fringe heels.

Jewel's one-shouldered, short pink dress hugged her curves and looked cute and fresh on her. On any other red carpet, this might be considered a solid choice but not a show-stopper or worthy of a "Best Dressed" list, but given the absence of those sorts of gowns, Jewel makes the list because her frock is simple, sharp and sleek. We wish she'd have gone with darker heels, though, for contrast.

Carmen Electra was on site, since she never misses a party. Her red carpet dress had several high points: the strappy, peek-a-boo bodice, the high slit and train. She looked elegant.

ACAs host Kristin Chenoweth looked lovely in a bold sapphire gown. It's a daring and risky color, but the simple styling and silhouette made it a smart choice. You could spot her a mile away, though.

Newly pregnant singer Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum is already starting to show, so she kept it simple in a clingy black dress with an ever-so-subtle flash of skin on the bodice. Paired with booties, she looked a step above casual but pitch-perfect for her condition. Again, this might attire not make a "Best Dressed" list in other scenarios, but given the small pool to choose from, she couldn't go wrong with a basic LBD. (Off topic: Not loving the '80s permed hair.)

Lauren Alaina looked lovely in her lemon yellow, jeweled goddess gown. The color was bright, like her smile and her hair. She's only 18, but she stepped it up a notch and looked appropriately womanly.