One of the night's most talked about red carpet look came from singer and songwriter Taylor Swift. She wore a Tamara Ralph dress from the Fall 2026 Couture collection. The mock-neck bodice was a sleeveless black-ish blue velvet material that featured mesh cutouts on the sides. 

Draped around her waist was a sparkly silver column skirt with a thigh-high slit, which is what pulled the whole look together. She paired this dress with dangling silver Leviev earrings and bedazzled Le Silla sandals.

It was a big night for Swift as she became the most decorated artist in VMA history, officially surpassing Beyonce with 33 total career wins. She also debuted the music video for her newest single "Patient Zero," following the release of "The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore" on Friday, Sept. 25.

Best New Artist winner Sienna Spiro brought a similar style to the red carpet in a sparkly champagne Valentino gown. Its bodice featured a low V-neck that had a silver embellishment down the center of the gown, stopping to form a high slit that flowed into a long train. 

The line of gems gave a roused look to the dress, extenuating the bodice. This 1960's inspired look would not have been possible without her brown hair blown out into big bouncy curls, as well as her matching nude heels and silver jewelry. 

One of the few artists who brought a pop of color to the carpet was K-Pop singer Lisa. She was sporting a cherry red corseted gown from The Attico, which she paired with a matching faux-fur coat from Quine Li. The dress itself was layers of mesh material that featured corset-like boning along the bodice.

The coat is what caught everyone's attention; it was a stark contrast to the material of her dress. Its dramatic shape rounded over her shoulders, giving her a circular appearance before trailing behind her in a train. Her accessories were more understated but still pulled the look together as she had her hair styled into a high ponytail with a red band and matching red stilettos.

Other artists that shined on the carpet included Teyana Taylor in a black Zuhair Murad robe like gown, Charli XCX in a black two-piece Saint Laurent, Chloe Bailey in a champagne crystal gown and Normani in a bold Robert Wun gown. 

What made this year particularly interesting was the range of different styles and silhouettes that caused a cohesive look. The "old Hollywood" aesthetic was a huge inspiration pull for many of these artists, which can be seen from the majority of the sparkly monochrome gowns. 

Another huge trend the carpet saw was everything leather. Celebrities like Olandria from "Love Island," singer Orville Peck, Shaboozey, Sombr and Nirvana all incorporated leather elements into their looks. 

Although the 2026 VMAs fell short in the fashion department compared to years past, there were still some memorable looks. Hopefully, as the next award season is right around the corner, the more outlandish looks will return to the carpet. But for now, the VMA for best dressed goes to…