Tuesday night, musicians including Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan and event-host Megan Thee Stallion took to the red carpet at MTV’s highly-anticipated Video Music Awards (VMAs). Full of iconic moments and well-deserved wins, the night delivered a premiere picture of fashion from a vast number of musicians and designers.
Carpenter stole the show, paying homage to the heart of the very first VMAs, recreating a look from musician and fashion icon Madonna’s 1984 VMAs.
Carpenter, who has seen a spike in popularity this summer following the Aug. 23 release of her long-awaited sixth studio album, “Short n’ Sweet,” strutted the red carpet sporting a 1991 silver beaded Bob Mackie dress, hand-picked by her stylist Jared Ellner.
According to an article from Vogue, fashion archive Tab Vintage played an essential role in selecting the Hollywood-esque gown.
“It was originally designed for Madonna to wear to perform at the Academy Awards,” said Tab Vintage Alexis Novak during the Vogue interview. “It was inspired by Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and made headlines when she wore it.”
Ahead of her seven award nominations, Carpenter flawlessly exuded the pop-star-princess energy she’s so famous for.
No surprise here, Swift came camera-ready in a sexy, smoky, plaid ensemble.
The “Fortnight” singer rocked an edgy, strappy number designed by Dior — consisting of an avant-garde taffeta tartan top with a sweeping open-front skirt and velvet black shorts — as she accepted the first VMA of the night for her collaboration with Post Malone.
Swift paired the corset and skirt combo — chosen by her stylist Joseph Cassell Falconer — with thigh-high Maverick boots from designer Stuart Weitzman and a pair of Lorraine Schwartz 30-carat yellow diamond earrings.
The smoky eye and neutral lip — an uncharacteristic look from Swift — offered a sharp contrast to the star the world knows and loves.
Following suit, “Hot to Go!” singer Chappell Roan carried on the gothic trend. Needless to say, Roan’s VMAs look was far from casual; Her medieval-inspired getup featured a sheer, stripy dress with metal cuffs, a cross necklace and dagger-like nails.
Amidst The Midwest Princess Tour, this drag-inspired artist continually flaunts campy, burlesque looks, and her VMA dress is no exception.
Every outfit is a performance for Roan. Her warrior-esque costume included a personal knight to roll out the red carpet.
The Y/Project gown was accompanied by a green velvet robe and chainmail accessories. Roan’s presence was no less queenly, as she was nominated for two songs off her 2023 album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” along with her latest single, “Good Luck, Babe!”
Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles also made an appearance, presenting the award for best collaboration.
According to an article from Variety, While presenting the award, American rapper Flavor Flav gifted her with her very own diamond-encrusted bronze stopwatch, a condolence following the Paris Olympic medal stripped from her after a scoring appeal dispute.
“I just want to turn this into a little Olympic moment for a second if ya’ll don’t mind,” Flavor Flav said as the crowd erupted in applause. “Ay yo Jordan, I know they tried to take your medal away from you, but you know what? I got you something that they can’t take away from you.”
As influential as the VMAs are for music, fans of the dozens of nominees eagerly awaited their favorite musicians’ turns on the red carpet, keen on catching a glimpse at some of their most iconic looks yet.
