After eight years covering the red carpet as a fashion reporter, I have grown to love MTV's VMAs. It's an awards show where musicians put the “personal” in “personal style” and extra drama is always encouraged. The stars not only walk the carpet, they perform on it. It's not just about pretty dresses and avant-garde matching sets; it's not about looking elegant or wearing textbook “good enough. For better or worse, it's about wearing something that will be in the artist's catalog of most memorable looks.

The red carpet at the 2024 VMAs proved my point. Whether observing Taylor Swift in tartan-check Dior, Tyra in an Off the Runway area, or Chapel Lawn in a Joan of Arc costume, I was struck by the fact that the audience at home would definitely be talking about it tomorrow and remembering it a year, five years, ten years from now. I saw costumes. From naked corset dresses to unusual vintage flexes to over-the-top embellishments, the following looks stood out on the chaotic red carpet that is the hallmark of the 2024 VMAs.

Whether she's going on a date with Travis Kells or attending a low-key wedding, Taylor Swift's fashion always gets people talking (and often, guessing.) Her looks at the 2024 VMAs expanded her style repertoire, while at the same time, sent her fans into a frenzy. Working with longtime stylist Joseph Cassel Falconer, Swift chose a sexy tartan corset, open-front cape skirt, and black hot pants from Dior's 2025 Resort runway. She accessorized like a red carpet warrior with lace-up leather gloves and thigh-high boots.

Swift has been wearing Vivienne Westwood's punky princess check all summer, but this version looks especially battle-ready, to borrow a phrase from “Archer.” And that Swift swept the categories with a total of 12 VMA Trophy nominations. She then changed into a sequined UFO mini-dress by Monse.

One thing about Chapel Lawn: she knows how to pay homage and make an entrance. Before walking the red carpet at the 2024 VMAs in a gorgeous Y/Project naked dress, the leather-clad knight laid out a woven rug worthy of a medieval chateau. Roan then floated to her personal step in a gray, black, and burgundy naked dress with a utility green cape coat over her shoulders, repeating.

Chapelle Roan's look ranked high on this list, partly because it referenced the traditional VMA trend of a completely see-through, naked dress, and partly because it brought performance back to the carpet. She posed with a sword to slay her enemies, a cross around her neck, and a retinue to support her all the way down the carpet. The intimidating, commanding energy was underscored by a brief shouting match between the overly demanding photographer and Roan.

Writer Ira Madison III said it best in X.

Sabrina Carpenter's short-and-sweet appearance on the red carpet at the 2024 VMAs made quite an impact. Her recent styling incorporates a variety of designers, such as Ukrainian brand Frolov and the Victoria's Secret archives, and plays with 1950s bombshell codes. The “Please Please Please” singer was the ultimate pin-up girl, Marilyn Monroe, in a vintage gown sourced from Tab Vintage. Styled by Jared Ellner, her dress had a romantic sweetheart neckline and a corseted bodice with intricate beading. No tribute to Monroe would be complete without a full Old Hollywood curl.

According to the label's post, Sabrina Carpenter's look also acknowledges pop music icons. Her 90s gown was first worn by Madonna for a Vanity Fair cover shoot in 1991. She wore another version of this gown for her performance at the Academy Awards that same year.

In other words, she is the most . . looks presenter. Meghan The Stallion's VMA red carpet look kicked off a night of multiple outfit changes, from an Olympic bodysuit to a flaming red corset dress. The Nicole + Felicia ball gown has a subtly sexy sheer fabric under the corseted bodice and takes up space with an exaggerated skirt gathered at the knees. Meg told Carpet Interview that she had a very specific vision: “I wanted to give the hot girls a summery, glamorous, and slightly darker beauty.” She checked all of those boxes at once.

In 1996, Gianni Versace designed this one-of-a-kind red leopard-print gown for Elizabeth Hurley, with intricate beading along some of the spots. Years later, Halsey and her styling team ordered the gown from the boutique Janet Mandel for a celebrity reappearance at the 2024 VMAs. For its history alone, Halsey's look is remarkable, but her commitment to style, with matching bright red hair, has made this style a regular candidate for the VMAs.

Tyra won her first Grammy in 2024. She also swept the awards at the 2024 VMAs with her upbeat dress. The “Water” singer chose a fringed dress from Elia's Fall 2024 collection and brought a high-color contrast to the event with Barbie pink heels and earrings, plus a turquoise blue necklace. The layering of Technicolor shades was an overture to the joy that echoed when Tyra received the Best Afrobeats award. Perhaps the singer's next honor came when she put on her clothes.

When Addison Ray took the microphone on the red carpet at the 2024 VMAs, she had one message for the interviewer: “I just want to have fun.” And it was clear she was enjoying the carpet as much as anyone, fluffing up the tulle skirt attached to her satin ivory bloomers, raising her hands in an exaggerated pose, and kissing the camera. Miss Claire Sullivan's custom look also included a satin white bra top and pointed toe heels: a Madonna. She and stylist Dara proudly represented Madonna, the original princess of pop, in a carefree blonde ambition tribute.

New York Fashion Week's Spring 2025 season was hardly over until Katy Perry presented this red carpet look on the runway for Who Decides War. Perry, winner of the Video Vanguard Award, an achievement she shares with Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, and stylist Tatiana Waterford probably wanted to choose something that would be a nod to the arc of the singer's career and where she is now all at once. After all, it will surely appear in future retrospectives of her style. This two-piece set plays to the sweaty, club-inspired, hyper-pop aesthetic of Perry's latest album. At the same time, her wet hair styling and ultra-low-rise skirt pay homage to the pop artist's long history of trying to shock and awe on the VMA red carpet.

Hooded gowns were a micro-trend on the VMA red carpet in 2024, appearing in thick satin and gorgeous, sheer fabrics. The first to grace the carpet was the best by Lisa in black pink. Her mu-grey custom-made dress, styled by Hatayrat Nan Nist Palmpoon, cleverly justaposed an almost naked corset and a dreamy sweep skirt that draped her body asymmetrically and somehow also led to a hood and long sleeves. This was something of a red herring for the more sultry looks she wears during in-arena performances, both of which are “rock star” worthy.