Updated 30 July 2026 — the 2026 VMAs air September 27, live from Los Angeles. Until then, here’s the look back at 2025’s best red carpet moments.
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet swung between sheer gowns, vintage corsets and full gothic drama, with barely two outfits landing on the same trend. These are the 15 looks that made people stop scrolling.
1. Doja Cat – ’80s Glam Meets Pop Art
Doja Cat went full '80s pop art in a harlequin-patterned Balmain mini dress trimmed with pink embroidery, finished with Chopard diamonds, platform heels and a crystal lipstick-shaped Judith Leiber clutch she kept swinging around during her performance.
- Why it works: Retro pattern, real diamonds, a clutch she actually used, nothing here was just for show.
- Shop the Look: Pastel mini dresses | Statement jewelry
2. Sabrina Carpenter – Valentino Elegance
Sabrina Carpenter went full old-Hollywood in a sheer red Valentino lace gown, then threw a lavender feather boa over the top, finished with Tiffany & Co. diamonds. The colour clash shouldn't have worked, and somehow did.
- Why it works: Red lace sitting next to lavender feathers sounds wrong on paper. It wasn't.
- Shop the Look: Red lace gowns | Feather accessories
3. Ariana Grande – Vintage Fendi
Ariana Grande picked vintage Fendi for the night: a black-and-white polka-dot strapless gown with a peplum waist, plus a matching scarf tied into her signature ponytail. Playful pattern, disciplined silhouette.
- Why it works: A high-contrast print paired with a clean silhouette reads more sophisticated than either element alone.
- Shop the Look: Polka dot dresses | Vintage-inspired accessories
4. Tate McRae – Sheer Sophistication
Tate McRae wore a custom Ludovic de Saint Sernin sheer gown with a Medusa-inspired cutout, paired with '90s supermodel hair and skin: soft brows, dewy base, tousled waves. Nothing about the styling tried too hard, which is exactly why it worked.
- Why it works: Sheer can look like trying too hard. Undone hair and minimal makeup kept this one from tipping over.
- Shop the Look: Nautical-inspired outfits | Platform heels
5. Conan Gray – Sailor Chic
Conan Gray leaned all the way into a sailor look: cap, nautical stripes, and platform boots that added a solid six inches. It was the most overtly costume-y outfit of the night, in a good way.
- Why it works: Full commitment to a theme, cap included, is why this read as a look rather than a costume.
- Shop the Look: Puffy sleeve tops | Platform boots
6. Ciara – Bomber Jacket Twist
Ciara wore Schiaparelli: a red minidress built like a bomber jacket, styled with PVC Gianvito Rossi heels. Streetwear shapes, couture execution.
- Why it works: A bomber-jacket silhouette in minidress form is a genuinely rare combination on a red carpet.
- Shop the Look: Bomber jackets | PVC heels
7. Tyla – Vintage Chanel
Tyla went vintage Chanel, a structured corset piece, and layered it with Pandora jewellery. Old-house tailoring against contemporary jewellery is a combination more people should try.
- Why it works: Corsetry this old rarely gets paired with jewellery this current.
- Shop the Look: Vintage corsets | Bold jewelry
8. Sombr – Embroidered Elegance
Sombr wore a black Valentino suit with embroidery dense enough to read as texture from a distance and detail up close, proof a suit doesn't need colour to make a statement.
- Why it works: Embroidery this dense doesn't need a single extra accessory.
- Shop the Look: Embroidered suits | Tailored blazers
9. Katseye – Dolce & Gabbana Coordination
Katseye arrived coordinated in Dolce & Gabbana, the kind of matching-but-not-identical group styling that's genuinely hard to pull off across six people.
- Why it works: Coordinated without being matching is the harder version of a group look.
- Shop the Look: Coordinated sets | Luxury accessories
10. Lady Gaga – Gothic Glamour
Lady Gaga closed the night in a theatrical Marc Jacobs gothic gown, fittingly, since she also walked away with Artist of the Year. Dark, dramatic, and clearly the outfit of someone who knew she was winning.
- Why it works: A gothic gown with an award to back it up. The theatrics were earned.
- Shop the Look: Gothic gowns | Statement accessories
11. Lenny Kravitz – Saint Laurent Simplicity
Lenny Kravitz wore a Saint Laurent suit with no shirt underneath, which by now is basically his signature move. Simple, and it works because he commits to it every time.
- Why it works: A tailored suit and no shirt is either a mess or a mood. On him, it's a mood.
- Shop the Look: Checkered blazers | Minimalist accessories
12. Jessica Simpson – Sheer Siriano
Jessica Simpson made her first VMAs appearance in almost 20 years, in a sheer black Christian Siriano gown with visible corsetry. Big return, bigger dress.
- Why it works: Sheer plus corsetry is a lot of dress. She wore it like she does this every week.
- Shop the Look: Sheer dresses | Corset details
13. Yungblud – Leather Statement
Yungblud arrived shirtless in a leather coat over ultra-low-rise leather pants, then dropped the coat entirely partway down the carpet. Subtlety was never the plan.
- Why it works: Committing to shirtless-and-leather for the whole night is its own kind of consistency.
- Shop the Look: Leather pants
14. FKA twigs – Burgundy Bandeau
FKA twigs wore a burgundy bandeau top with low-rise pants and styled her braids into a headphone shape, a small detail, but the kind of styling choice that makes a whole look feel considered.
- Why it works: The braided detail is easy to miss and worth a second look when you catch it.
- Shop the Look: Bandeau tops | Low-rise pants
15. Zara Larsson – Floral Sheer
Zara Larsson wore a sheer blue minidress covered in 3D florals, with jewelled flowers scattered through her hair and across her hands. It read more like a bouquet than an outfit, in the best way.
- Why it works: Florals plus sheer fabric can read costume-y. The blue kept it wearable.
- Shop the Look: Floral dresses | Sheer fabrics
Fashion Trends to Watch from the 2025 VMAs
Red carpet fashion doesn't happen in a vacuum, it echoes recent runway seasons and Fashion Week. Here's what actually repeated across the 2025 VMAs carpet:
- Sheer Fabrics: Tate McRae, Jessica Simpson and Zara Larsson all showed up in sheer, proving it's less a single look than a full toolkit, from undone-supermodel to full corsetry to floral and airy.
- Bold Accessories: From Doja Cat’s sparkling Chopard diamonds to Tyla’s curated Pandora pieces, statement jewellery proved that the right accessory can elevate any outfit.
- Vintage Revival: Ariana Grande and other stars brought nostalgia to the forefront, incorporating vintage-inspired silhouettes and retro detailing. This trend shows how classic pieces can feel modern again.
- Colour Pop & Metallics: Neon hues, metallic fabrics, and reflective materials dominated the night, ensuring that every step on the red carpet was a showstopper.
- Tailored Suits & Androgynous Styles: Power suits and gender-fluid tailoring made a strong statement on the red carpet, combining confidence with high fashion and offering a fresh take on classic suiting.
Final Thoughts
The through-line across all 15 looks wasn't one single trend, it was commitment, whether that meant a full corset, competition-grade sheer fabric, or no shirt at all. If you want to see how trends like these actually take shape before they land on a red carpet, I've written about how fashion trends emerge and cycle back into style. Pick one detail from this list, not the whole outfit, and try it yourself.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you. The outfits and accessories featured are inspired by the celebrities’ 2025 VMA looks and may include a mix of affordable alternatives and higher-end items. They are not exact replicas.