The only thing worse than Keith Urban repeatedly calling grown woman Nicole Kidman ‘baby girl’ at the Academy of Country Music Awards?

Kidman’s dress.

The Big Little Lies star is always at home on a Hollywood red carpet but sometimes flounders when she has to take event dressing onto Keith’s home turf.

And so it was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday night (US time), when Urban won the top award of the night – entertainer of the year – and, in a quality field, Kidman won worst dressed.

Her mumsy Christopher Kane silver and black gown was an epic fail, a bizarre mish-mash of chainmail fabric, balloon sleeves, plunging neckline and lace that looked like Morticia Addams’ underpants.

With cutesy jewellery, the whole effect was pantomime medieval knight meets Bras N Things.

Urban turned on his own power display of iffy dressing in a black and navy snakeskin print suit that somehow had overtones of Howard Cunningham heading to the Leopard Lodge on 1970s sitcom Happy Days.

Let’s block the tractor tread shoes from our shared consciousness.

Meanwhile, other stars also worked their ‘I’m a little bit country, I’m a little bit rock’n’roll’ vibe on the red carpet.

Elvis lives! Multiple winner Kacey Musgraves wore an ombre pastel suit with flared pleated sleeves and pants and nothing underneath, platform shoes and pointless long hair.

Hosting the show for the 16th time, Reba McEntire said, “I haven’t been tired in 53 years. I’m a woman in the music business and we don’t have time for tired.”

She looked full of beans wearing cowboy boots under her embellished velvet gown.

Carrie Underwood tried to muscle in on Nicole’s confused chain mail look. Hers came with a bare shoulder, wrap over front, two splits and ill-advised second wedding sandals.

One dress code, two interpretations. Singer Lee Brice wore stacks of chunky jewellery and a poker player’s vest, his wife Sara Reeveley was inspired by Sofia Vergara’s long-time mermaid dress obsession.

New female artist of the year Ashley McBryde was party at the top, meeting with the accountant at the bottom.

So many questions for singer Jason Aldean and wife Brittany Kerr …  but mostly, what are the tassels on his pant? And is that a novelty lapel?

Family photo goals. Brittney Kelly wore a pinstriped bike short suit with crop top, white pump and bobby pin. Her singer husband Brian was in a denim suit that had been taken up. His Florida Georgia Line bandmate Tyler Hubbard chose a brocade look and patchwork shoe. His wife Hayley was in a perfectly acceptable slip dress. I know.

Singer Tanya Tucker and actor Dennis Quaid were awesome, she with cool pink hair, sequins and fishnet boot, he a ‘once you see it, you can’t unsee it’ melange of rockabilly coif, pleather jacket, band tee, distressed pant and street tout shoe.

Kelly Clarkson took things seriously in 2016’s structured cape shoulder.

Miranda Lambert rocked the show in black cutaway leather. But didn’t rock the red carpet in pretty, eminently forgettable lime which needed texture and less train.

If Dustin Lynch’s music is as original as his suit, he’s onto something.

And this is where the party was at: The Brothers Osborne, John and TJ, broke style rules (never team black and a bright, beware a belt and lariat combo) but their embroidery and signet rings were extraordinary in best showbiz traditions.