We wrote them up for Cosmopolitan magazine and we featured several of the standouts already, but it’s long past time to put the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet to bed, good and judged. This is normally the place where we advise you to brace yourselves for the utter clownery and WTFery you’re about to witness, but to our surprise (and, we’re not gonna lie, a little bit of unease), this year turned out to be the most conservative VMAs red carpet we ever covered. People actually showed up looking kind of…nice? Not all of them, of course. This is still the most attention-seeking red carpet on the yearly calendar.
Ashlee Simpson
It’s fine. We hate all the strings hanging off it, though.
Ciara in Schiaparelli
It always comes off so gimmicky whenever someone tries to make activewear into formalwear, but this is legitimately gorgeous. Hate the shoes.
Conan Gray in Erik Charlotte
We are utterly DELIGHTED.
Doja Cat in Balmain
It’s funny and cute in a character-dressing sort of way. This comes off more like costume than fashion. We like the dress in all its tacky glory, but it’s too tight. We can’t sign off on those shoes. Putting aside the practicality, they just look cheap.
FKA Twigs in Matieres Fecales
This looks very hot, highly original, and deeply painful to wear. The color looks great on her.
Frankie Grande
Messy. In every sense of the word.
GloRilla in Helen Anthony
LOVED this. The colors look fantastic on her. Quibbles: it looks too small on her and no one over the age of three should wear ruffled anklets.
Ice Spice in Ralph Lauren
The style is a good one for her, but the details let her down. The bodice is too tight and the skirt just looks cheap and flimsy. Love the hair, though.
Jessica Simpson
Meh. It’s an overwrought design we’ve seen a thousand times. Hardly worth the effort.
Katseye in Dolce & Gabbana
As we said in our Cosmo writeup, it’s something of a pop girlie rite of passage to show up at the VMAs in tacky D&G styles. To the house’s credit, each of them is distinctly styled. They look somewhat unified, but not like they’re wearing uniforms.
Latto in Versace
We thought we liked this, but in the light of day, the textile is coming off chintzy and that strap situation looks awkward.
Lenny Kravitz in Saint Laurent
LOVE that he finally listened to us and updated his look. He hasn’t sacrificed a bit of his hotness, but he looks chic and of-the-moment.
Mariah Carey
It’s a very cute, very Mimi sort of look, but those tights are awful.
Megan Stalter in Lael Osness
Of course she did.
Paris Hilton (The Blonds) and Nicky Hilton (in Bronx and Banco)
Paris’s look is a lot of fun, but it needed to be longer. Nicky’s is basic.
Ricky Martin
Giving the people what they want.
Sexyy Red
Can’t say she’s not living up to her name.
Sombr in Valentino
It’s sexy and chic. The kids are alright.
Summer Walker
This was a tribute to Pamela Anderson’s semi-iconic look for the 1999 VMAs and she looks adorable in it.
Tate McRae in Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Our only issue with a look like this – which is pretty and sexy on her – is that it’s a big nothing. There’s no style or even design here; just some sheer organza pinned to some underwear.
Taylor Momsen
Grim.
The Kid Laroi in Former Child
It’s gorgeously chic and we love the ’80sness of it.
Tyla in Chanel
It’s the VMAs, so we’re legally forbidden from being scandalized by a short skirt. While the dress does come off more like a fitted tank top, it’s still a super-cute look for her. All the jewelry really makes it.
Yungblud
As classic a rockstar look as you’re ever gonna see on the VMAs red carpet and an absolutely perfect way to show up to do an Ozzie tribute.
[Photo Credit: Getty Images for MTV]
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