The singer joked that she could fit sweats and Nike slides under her custom ballgown

The star offset the super-sugary, cakelike vibe of her dress with a dark wine lip and slicked-down bun, and with both she bucked two of the biggest CMA trends: sequins and giant hair. (But she did give us flashbacks to Rihanna, Lena Dunham and Jennifer Lawrence in the process.)

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Image zoom Kacey Musgraves arrives at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Musgraves chatted with PEOPLE on the red carpet about the dress. “This is a custom Christian Siriano, I’m a big fan of his work, I was happy when he wanted to dress me and make me my own thing,” she said, before going on to joke that the skirt afforded her so much room, “I have sweatpants on and Nike sliders under this!”

Image zoom People Special Edition 50 years of the CMA Awards – Cover

PEOPLE’s Special Edition 50 Years of the CMA Awards is on sale now online and on newsstands.

An extra layer might be reassuring after her 2014 wardrobe malfunction. “We’re not going to have a repeat of that tonight, I learned my lesson that night with the stick-on underwear,” she said, joking she didn’t even know that was a thing before the night it betrayed her. “I don’t know what happened, all I knew was that in two seconds I was underwearless, the curtain opened and it was me and Loretta Lynn. I prayed some prayers in that moment.”

Her prayers were answered: She got a gorgeous dress that won’t let her down and the chance to sing Dolly Parton at the CMAs.