To much fanfare and excitement, MTV broadcast its annual Video Music Awards from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 6. This year’s show was full of memorable performances, first-time wins, and of course, spectacular fashion.
Stars arrived on the red carpet in ensembles much more subdued than in years past, but nonetheless paved the way for a successful night of fashion. Trends seen on the carpet included winter white ensembles, see-through lace, and of course, some sparkle.
Ke$ha, one of music’s most controversial stars, showed up to the VMAs in an uncharacteristically lady-like mini-dress custom designed by Ugo Zaldi. To the surprise of her fans, she left her sparkly eye makeup and feathers at home and stunned the paparazzi lining the red carpet. She complimented her nude mini-dress adorned with lace overlay with simple black heels, a feathered purse, and iridescent drop earrings. Ke$ha’s feminine look puts her in the running for best-dressed celebrity of the night.
Wearing one of the night’s biggest trends, country singer Taylor Swift graced the carpet in a sleek winter white suit by J. Mendel. It was utterly refreshing to see the “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” singer in something other than the typical sparkly mini-dress that she wears to seemingly every major awards show that she attends. To further play up the elegance of her look, she accessorized with strappy gold Tom Ford heels and her signature red lipstick.
This wasn’t the only outfit fans were treated to on Thursday night, as the starlet left her suit behind to rock the house in a preppy red and white long sleeved t-shirt, jean shorts, and bright red brogues to close out the show with a few furry friends serving as backup.
By far the most talked about singer of the night was Rihanna. She is the latest star to make headlines for changing her hairstyle, and Thursday night she showed off a new dark hue and a flirty pixie cut.
The Barbados beauty looked sophisticated in her white floor-length gown with Grecian flair by Adam Selman. She was another star who kept her accessories to a minimum by wearing simple nude sandals, delicate rings, and diamond studs.
Rihanna took the stage to sing her hit single, “We Found Love,” in a sheer red dress layered over top of a red bralette, leather pants, and black leather boots. Both of her looks clearly set her above the rest, and have put her in the lead for best dressed.
Although the fashion misses were few and far between, there were two standouts for the title of worst dressed celebrity.
America’s sweetheart and Olympic Gold Medalist, Missy Franklin, wore a coral ruched halter dress that did nothing to compliment her figure. Not only was her dress unflattering, her jewelry and purse did nothing to balance out her look. Her silver drop earrings, gold bracelet, and black purse simply did not match. Franklin’s best accessory was the Olympic gold medal she wore proudly around her neck.
“Awkward” actress Jillian Rose Reed was another unfortunate standout in the worst dressed category. Reed chose a champagne-colored Daisy Gonzalez dress with a deep V-neck adorned with ruffles and pleating in the skirt, and accessorized her look with Dana Davis shoes and jewelry by both Neil Lane and Vanessa Mooney. The dress’s pale color washed out her alabaster skin tone and her shoes were too chunky for such a delicate dress.
The 2012 Video Music Awards showcased incredible talent and refreshingly enough, a lack of controversy this year.
The title of best dressed is an easy one – and that goes to Rihanna. She looked effortlessly chic in both her red carpet and performance ensembles.
Missy Franklin was an easy choice for worst dressed celebrity as well, with her mismatched jewelry and ill-fitting halter dress.
