2022 MTV VMAs Fashion Review
Someone DO Something!!!
Hello everyone! I am typing with an ocean view and I’ve never been happier. Typically, this would have been in your inbox the day after the show, but given the fact that I am living my best beach bum life, I’m sporadically typing whenever I get the chance, so, I actually have no clue when I’ll be done. You have to admire my commitment, though.
Anyway, like with most red carpets, this one was incredibly boring! Are we shocked? Because I’m not! I wish someone would just do something, anything. This was the VMAs for god’s sake. Bring back Lady Gaga and her draped meats.
When I first saw this look close out the Schiaparelli Fall 2022 Couture show, I was gagged; I’m still gagged. The anatomical heart is incredible, and the exposed breast makes me think of Lil Kim’s look from the 1999 VMAs. But while I think this is beautiful, I’m still bored. I’m tired of people wearing things straight off of the runway without adding anything to the look and not trying to sell me on it even a little bit. The VMAs are the perfect opportunity to wear something that you can’t wear anywhere else.
The circle ring zipper on the side is sending me into orbit. Not only did they make the zipper visible, but they drew even more attention to it with that big ring; for why? The draping isn’t that groundbreaking and the bedazzled safety pins look like candy canes to me.
I can’t believe this is the only Versace look we saw all night. I mean, it’s definitely a very Avril look. Once again nothing memorable, and honestly, I feel like this could fit her better. However I do admire the commitment to style, even when working with a brand like Versace.
Zuhair Murad isn’t really a brand I turn to, but this is quite lovely. She looks like a stained glass window that’s supposed to look like a tarot card. The embroidery is really stunning and it fits her like a glove. Although the cutouts on the side aren’t a design element we haven’t seen before, I still like it, and think it works.
Wait, why do I not hate this? Listen, Matthew Williams’ Givenchy makes me giggle almost every time I see it, but Blackbear is selling me on this look. The oversized leather pants and bomber honestly fit quite nicely, and I like the full commitment with the glasses.
They better be getting paid deliciously for being brand ambassadors, because these looks are so boring. Starting from the left, Lisa is wearing a strapless jumpsuit that appears to have a train. I understand Hedi Slimane’s Celine is simple, but it’s just not my thing. She looks like she’s going to a high school dance. Jisoo is wearing a very MGC for Dior dress, and hiding that god awful belt with her arms here. I don’t know why the top is lace and the bottom is florals. I wish we’d went with one or the other, preferably the lace. Jennie’s look is probably my favorite, shockingly, but still not groundbreaking. The five point stars on the halter top make sense for Chanel, but the top is whatever. The skirt however? Stunning. I love the shape of the waistline, and the pleating really created a beautiful shape. Rosé in Saint Laurent is also fine. I’m still not sold on those flowers, but it’s chic and fits her well; it could still be better.
Let me tell you about this look. So they found out they’d be attending the VMAs a day before and since they were away from home, they didn’t have the usual resources to put together a look. So instead, they got this suit from Portobello’s, had a friend put some costume jewelry on it, and had another friend sew together a whole bunch of white button ups to create this one! Honestly, for a last minute look, I think this is really fun, and looks great! I’d even say it looks better than a lot of the girlies who actually had time to put something together.
If you told me this was Versace, I’d believe you. That aside, it is a stunning dress. It’s obviously crafted beautifully; the drape is nice, the structure of the corset is lovely. However, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before and is a really safe sillohette. Once again, nothing I’ll be thinking about years, even months from now.
Well, this is atrocious! Apparently this was meant to resemble the moon man, but I’m getting more, last minute craft project using an old sleeping bag. Threeasfour is an interesting brand, but you’d never know it after seeing this.
Love a Harris Reed look! This collection used up-cycled wedding dress to create a lot of the pieces, and this beautiful, sheer, lace trimmed jacket has such a lovely romantic, gothic feel. Everything about this is very Harris, and I think Conan looks really good. The small details, like the lace glove, the choker, and the platforms make it all the better.
Dare I say that this is one of Dixie’s best looks? I still want more from her, but I have a lot less questions than I usually do. I think this sequin, high neck dress fits her really nicely. The deep cutouts on the side and the draping around the hip are also quite good. Honestly, I rather be underwhelmed than concerned and confused.
I wasn’t really familiar with this designer prior to seeing this look, but it made me want to look into her. Although simple, I think it’s a really good look. The leather looks delicious and the structure of the jacket is really nice. I love how the collar is not only extended, but it also goes up high, which adds a nice length. I think the clasp works but could be edited a tad.
This looks like if Rodarte collabed with Forever 21. Listen, I love Paco, but this look (and most of this collection) were not it for me. I love the leather, BDSM elements of it, but the florals feel pointless and cheap. Dove typically goes for almost a futuristic vibe in her looks, and I’m usually looking forward to seeing what she wears. If this is the route she wanted to take, I think maybe something from Roberto Cavalli would have been better.
I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t think the pants and shirt are bad, I just feel like the styling is throwing them off. I love a slutty tank and gold chains underneath, but I think that a lighter color would have helped the matching set pop. Knowing Bode, I would assume this design is embroidered, but it almost looks printed on? I really hope it’s the former. Also, men, let’s work on the shoe game, please.
This suit is meant to be oversized, so I’m not mad at that, but I do think it’s leaning into looking like it just doesn’t fit right instead of being intentionally large. I do really love these jackets from LV, though. The way the lapels cross over each other and then go into the jacket is really great.
I also wanted to talk about his full zebra performance look. Honestly, it’s a fun time. I love the commitment of making the hair match as well. It’s truly a full print on print experience.
It’s time to talk about this crime. We don’t see Hermés on a red carpet very often, so to make it look this bad truly deserves jail time. I need you to look at the original look. If you click any link throughout this whole newsletter, it’s this one. Do you see how delicious that leather looks? How the pants fit? How the pink, wrapped collar, button up compliments it perfectly? Can you feel yourself considering doing bad things just to touch it? Yeah. How Jack managed to make that leather look like pleather so cheap, it would rip if I breathed too close to it, I’ll never know. I also don’t understand why he had the shirt made brown instead, and why two buttons of the jacket are buttoned. TWO!
Every day I try and figure out how Anthony Vacarello’s Saint Laurent has grown on me so much, but this is a really sweet look! It’s simple, but the shimmer in the flared velvet pants, and the embroidery on the top give it a personality. I think the texture in the top when the lines come down is lovely, and almost looks pleated. The pants fit nicely, and we all know I love a healed boot!
I know a lot of us are tired of seeing these Mugler jumpsuits, and while I’m not blow away by seeing another one, I do think it’s quite nice. The mesh isn’t a perfect match, but it’s better than most mesh looks were succumbed to look at. I like the off-the-shoulder moment, I think the heel is a good choice, and the hair match is fun.
I mean, it’s fine. The idea of the suit jacket being cropped, but not really since it ties together as it goes down is interesting, but I’m just not blow away. The mini is really nice, but it’s lost under the jacket.
This was one of the best looks of the night. Made from up-cycled feathers and sequins, this look is identifiably Harris Reed. The way the skirt feathers out and creates an exposed crinoline is really lovely, and I think the high waisted, sequin pants acts as the perfect backdrop. Harris loves a headpiece, and this one is fantastic. I love that Lil Nas always goes for it, and I love seeing more and more Harris Reed on the carpet.
Regardless on my thoughts about Kim Jones’ Fendi, I’m not 100% sold on this look. I don’t think it’s terrible, but I do think there’s too many kinds of lace happening. I also feel like there’s maybe one too many layers of lace, and the sleeve being that long doesn’t look intentional to me.
Here she is ladies and gentleman, the best dressed of the night! Lizzo is a fashion girl, and I love that not only does she always go for it, but I also feel like she actually cares about the things she’s wearing. There is truly nothing more opulent than swimming in voluminous yards of silk. This looks is fun, it’s something different, and it’s not afraid to be seen. There seems to be this idea set by society that plus sized women should dress a certain way, and Lizzo never letting the way she looks rule what she wears and wearing this look that takes up the space she deserves to take, is really powerful. Stunning.
Her second JPG look didn’t have the same impact on me. When I first saw this collection, I was really impressed, but then someone made a video showcasing the poor quality of the clothing, and I was disappointed. In theory, this dress is phenomenal. It has a really fun structure, and clearly references JPG house codes, however it just doesn’t look like it fits right, and the structure looks like it needs some support.
Måneskin wore Gucci, as they are want to do, but I’m not impressed. This doesn’t look like intentional Gucci ugly, it just looks ugly. I love that they always take risks and bend the lines of masculine and feminine, because we all know clothing has non gender, but they’ve definitely had better moments. Starting on the left, Ethan’s look is probably my favorite. I like the idea of this mesh corset and the pants fit well. The leather glove and belt is fine. Vic’s look makes me feel like someone took an old dance costume and cut it up a bit. It just looks like one of those leotards that’s meant to be worn with pants over it so it looks like you have a draped shirt on. I’m here for the tit out and the silver, heart shaped nipple pasty, but this look could definitely use some editing. Damiano’s mesh sequin cape is fine and the duchess silk pants are very Gucci, it’s just not too memorable. Thomas’ checkered suit could fit better, although I do like the lace shirt underneath.
Nicki, why? We all know Domenico and Stefano are trash, but it’s also incredible how much Dolce no longer has a brand identity. My only tell in guessing if something is Dolce is that it’s ugly. Other than that, I'm not sure I can name a current house code. When I first saw this and her performance look, I swear on my life I thought it was from Sherri Hill.
Sabrina sure does love a severe side cutout! This reminds me of that Mônot look she wore once during Cannes. Anyway, I think this is great! I love said cutouts, and I think the floral embroidery is really beautiful. This collection definitely had a 70s flower power feel to it, so the addition of the headband makes sense to me and is a sweet touch. Moschino might be a bit cooky and crazy most of the time, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of putting together a beautifully tailored, well-fitted dress.
This is vintage Chanel, and it does look very vintage, but not int he good way. It looks dated, and reminds me of when we used to wear business casual to the club. Kim Kardashian would have definitely worn this pre Kanye.
We love to see it! I love these paillette sequin pieces Marc has been doing, and these very large denim and cargo skirts are so fun. I think the jacket is great and I love the Kiki platform. Marc is another one I’ve been loving seeing more of recently.
Sofia is typically in a pretty princess, large tulle moment, so I’m loving this change up. She’s always in something formal, but at least this is a bit different. I think this is a really beautiful look, and the taffeta coming out at the sides, around the arms, and almost into a veil creates an incredible shape.
Taylor and Oscar seem to have a really good relationship, and she tends to turn to the brand quite often. I still think of her floral dress at the 2021 Grammy’s; it was stunning. This doesn’t make as much of an impact, but it’s still lovely. The draped chains are fine, but what I really love is how she literally looks naked underneath. I’m sure there’s some kind of mesh holding all of this together, but I can see her belly button, so it makes me think that she’s literally nude, and that’s fun.
I wanted to include this look she wore to an afterparty, not because it’s anything incredible, but because this woman sure does love an album theme. I feel like Taylor is always dress according to whatever album it is that she’s promoting. When accepting an award she announced her new album coming out in October, and at midnight she let everyone know it was called ‘Midnights’, so I feel like this look makes sense.
I have no clue who this is, I’m not going to lie to you, but I wanted to include it, because I think the styling is fun. It’s not often that we see a look actually put together instead of taken straight off of the runway. I think the green crocodile set is really nice, and the Marni knit is a fun touch.
So that was the VMAs! I know she was a little boring, but what can you do? Maybe one day award shows will be interesting again. My best dressed goes to Lizzo and Lil Nas X, and my worst goes to Jack Harlow and Nicki Minaj. Let me know what you thought in the comments!
TTYL!
xx