Just two years ago, pop princess Taylor Swift stunned the world at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) wearing a midnight blue gown by Hervé Léger by Max Azria, replete with finger waves in her hair and an old Hollywood elegance that belied her then-23 years.
For this year’s awards, held August 30, she chose two outfits that were eye-popping in a very different way. First she bared her midriff in a sequined two-piece pant suit by Ashish Gupta, which she paired with equally metallic Christian Louboutin heels and retro glam eyeliner, then she bared her bottom in an alphabet-print jumpsuit that, resembling a baby’s playsuit, indicated her sense of style may have regressed à la Benjamin Button.
Style on the red carpet, a crucial component of virtually every awards show, also appears to have slid down a slope. It is perhaps indicative of contemporary pop culture that garments constructed for aesthetic integrity no longer have a place in an industry where pictures of posteriors in thongs are supposed to sell singles (see “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj); or at events where Kanye West declares an intended run for the 2020 presidential election, Justin Bieber starts crying, and Miley Cyrus, who hosted the show and performed in it, appears in nearly 10 different costumes, none of them covering more than 20% (some may argue 10%) of her entire body. Here, fashion is constructed to shock and prompt controversy, and definitely not to enhance or conceal.
Indeed, many of the ensembles worn by the evening’s guests are better described as costumes rather than dresses, even if Lady Gaga, who arguably kickstarted this theatrical but lamentable trend, was not in attendance. Cyrus stole the spotlight by appearing as, amongst other things, a chandelier (made by Atelier Versace, no less), while model Amber Rose was similarly skimpy in loops of cascading chains by Jeremy Scott. Jennifer Lopez, still boasting a to-die-for figure, matched her crystal-studded cut-out gown to her shoes and clutch so well that she looked simply like a walking bauble.
Elsewhere, Kim Kardashian chose a most unflattering safari Balmain dress, while her husband Kanye West looked like he couldn’t care less either, accepting his Video Vanguard Award wearing a pair of sweats rolled up at the ankles. Nicki Minaj and Britney Spears both wore nude, body-squishing and navel-baring ensembles by Labourjoisie — but neither managed to impress.
To view the full list of fashion disasters on the 2015 VMA red carpet, click on the slideshow.
