Kelsea Ballerini Wore Shania Twain's Stunning Gown From 1999 GRAMMYs

Kelsea Ballerini wore a stunning white dress as she arrived at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The legendary venue is where the Academy of Country Music hosted the 15th Annual ACM Honors on Wednesday evening (August 24), recognizing some of the biggest artists, musicians and industry executives.

Ballerini marked the occasion by wearing an iconic dress to the event… It’s the same gown Shania Twain wore at the 41st annual GRAMMY Awards in 1999. That’s when the country music trailblazer won Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song for “You’re Still the One,” according to the GRAMMY Museum.

Twain loved it, telling Entertainment Tonight: “I am so blown away. She looks stunning. She looks like an absolute angel. It’s very flattering to see her in the dress, and that she even wanted to wear it. I said, ‘I hope it’s not too dusty after being in the (GRAMMY Museum).’”

“if your hero is shania twain, meet your hero. you may become friends and she may even let you wear THE dress. 🤍,” Ballerini gushed on Instagram, sharing a few photos wearing the dress. “(ps thank you [GRAMMY Museum] for letting me borrow it for 24 hours !!! pss tune in to see the whole acm honors sept 13)”

Twain received the ACM Poet’s Award, which honors “an international superstar and one of Country Music's most versatile and invigorating songwriters, with instantly-recognizable hits and the title of top-selling female Country Pop artist of all time,” according to the academy. Other honorees of the evening included Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Miranda Lambert and many more.

Several artists performed tributes to Twain, including Tiera Kennedy, who made her Ryman Auditorium debut with her rendition of Twain’s late 1990s hit, “From This Moment On.” Twain previously hailed her as having the “voice of an angel.”

Avril Lavigne also took the Ryman stage as a tribute to Twain, nodding to ‘90s country with Twain’s “No One Needs To Know,” (a performance so good that Twain herself suggested the pop-punk princess “should’ve gone into country, honestly”). Lavigne, who presented Twain’s award, was only 14 years old when she won a contest through her local radio station, allowing her the opportunity to get up on stage with Twain and sing in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. The pair recently reunited at the the Boots and Hearts Music Festival in Ontario, Canada, where Twain headlined and Lavigne danced backstage.

Of course, Ballerini had something else up her sleeve, in addition to donning the stunning 1999 gown. She kicked off the ACM Honors with a rendition of Twain’s iconic “Man! I Feel Like A Woman,” rocking a costume to reflect Twain’s look in the music video, surrounded by backup dancers.

The 15th Annual ACM Honors will make its return to television with its debut on FOX, set to air on Tuesday, September 13 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, according to an Academy of Country Music press release. See the list of honorees here.