The Moon People have been handed out, but there’s a few unofficial awards of our own to give.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards took over the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles last night, bringing music, performances and, obviously plenty of fashion with them.
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the show was a massive night for Madonna, who walked away as the evening’s biggest winner with seven Moon People, including Artist of the Year, Best Dance for Confessions II – The Film and Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter.
But before everyone headed inside, we had a red carpet to discuss. The VMAs have never been the place to play it safe. This is the same awards show that has given us some of the wildest and most recognizable fashion moments in pop culture history, so we want drama. We want sexy. We want weird. We want an outfit that makes us stop scrolling.
And these are the stars who did exactly that!
SLAYYYTER
Was there any chance we weren’t putting Slayyyter on this list? Absolutely not.
Slayyyter showed up looking every bit like the pop star she is, bringing the kind of sexy, glamorous and slightly dangerous energy that feels MADE for a VMA carpet.
The WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA era continues to give us everything we want.
CHARLI XCX
Charli xcx went dark and effortlessly cool in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, because of course she did.
The look felt completely in line with the MUSIC, FASHION, FILM world she’s currently building: sexy without trying too hard, fashion-forward and undeniably Charli.
She knows her aesthetic, and she knows how to sell it.
LISA RINNA
Leave it to Lisa Rinna to understand the assignment.
Rinna hit the carpet in SEKS, delivering another fearless fashion moment that reminded everyone why she’s so much fun to watch on a red carpet.
Say what you want, but boring is simply not in this woman’s vocabulary.
JOJO
JoJo brought the glamour in Nué, giving us a look that felt polished while still having enough edge for the VMAs.
And can we just say how much we love seeing JoJo continuing to have her moment?
She looked GOOD.
RAYE
RAYE brought old-school glamour to the carpet in Georges Hobeika, and the result was gorgeous.
While plenty of people leaned into the darker, edgier side of VMA fashion, RAYE reminded us that sometimes you can simply show up looking like a STAR.
No gimmicks required.
CHLOE BAILEY
Chloe Bailey and a red carpet?
You already know we’re paying attention.
Chloe once again understood exactly how to balance sexy and glamorous, giving us another confident fashion moment worthy of the VMA carpet.
PABLLO VITTAR
Pabllo Vittar came to make a STATEMENT.
The VMAs should be about having fun with fashion, and Pabllo understands that better than most. When you’re walking a carpet with this much pop-culture history attached to it, why blend in?
Exactly.
DYLAN KEVITCH
Dylan Kevitch brought some much-needed menswear representation to our favorites.
Clean, confident and camera-ready, Dylan proved you don’t necessarily need the loudest look on the carpet to get our attention.
TEYANA TAYLOR
Oh, Teyana.
Wearing Zuhair Murad, Teyana Taylor delivered one of those looks that immediately makes sense the second you see it.
Dark, sexy and dramatic, it was exactly the kind of fashion moment we want from the VMAs.
BEBE REXHA
Bebe Rexha showed up serving full pop-star glamour.
Bebe has never been afraid of a sexy red-carpet moment, and the VMAs gave her the perfect place to lean all the way into it.
BRANDON SKLENAR
And finally, Brandon Sklenar.
Because we appreciate a man who knows how to clean up.
Brandon brought classic leading-man energy to the carpet and gave us another reminder that menswear doesn’t need to be complicated to work.
THE VMAS RED CARPET REMAINS UNDEFEATED
That’s the beauty of the VMAs. There isn’t one specific way you’re supposed to dress.
You can give high fashion. You can show skin. You can get weird. You can go glamorous. You can wear something that makes absolutely no sense to anyone except you. Just don’t bore us!
And Slayyyter, Charli xcx, Lisa Rinna, JoJo, RAYE, Chloe Bailey, Pabllo Vittar, Dylan Kevitch, Teyana Taylor, Bebe Rexha and Brandon Sklenar certainly didn’t.
Until next year, we’ll be patiently waiting to see who gives us our next iconic VMA fashion moment. 😉
