The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet brought together archival glamour, sculptural couture and theatrical styling. “Best” is subjective, not an official VMA category; this is our edit of 13 standout looks, chosen for their visual impact and range.
The ceremony took place at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024, with MTV’s announcement listing an 8 p.m. ET/PT broadcast. MTV’s announcement confirms the event details.
13 standout looks from the 2024 MTV VMAs
This selection combines five looks named in ELLE’s contemporaneous best-dressed coverage with additional outfits documented in Vogue’s red-carpet gallery and TIME’s fashion-homage recap. The ordering is editorial, not a ranking.
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Lisa in custom Mugler
Lisa’s custom Mugler look earned a place on ELLE’s best-dressed list. The designer credit is confirmed there; ELLE’s cited passage does not give further construction details.
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Coco Jones in Lever Couture
Also selected by ELLE, Coco Jones wore Lever Couture. The credit places her among the night’s couture-led choices.
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Sabrina Carpenter in vintage Bob Mackie
Carpenter’s vintage Bob Mackie gown, paired with De Beers jewelry, joined red-carpet glamour with a recognizable reference: TIME says the gown recalled Madonna’s 1991 Oscars look. ELLE also included Carpenter in its best-dressed selections.
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Halle Bailey in Sophie Couture
Bailey’s Sophie Couture look, accessorized with Pandora, was one of ELLE’s five picks.
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Megan Thee Stallion in Nicole + Felicia
ELLE named Megan Thee Stallion in Nicole + Felicia among its choices. TIME also notes a separate host look: a reimagined version of Britney Spears’s “I’m a Slave 4 U” VMA costume.
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Chappell Roan in Y/Project
Vogue’s gallery credits Roan in Y/Project; Vogue’s accompanying analysis describes a sheer dress beneath a sage-green cloak, with a chainmail purse, cross necklace and sword. The medieval and gothic styling gave the look a distinct theatrical edge.
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Taylor Swift in Christian Dior
Vogue’s gallery credits Swift’s look to Christian Dior, with Stuart Weitzman shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
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Tate McRae’s Britney Spears tribute
TIME identifies McRae’s outfit as a tribute to Britney Spears, placing it in the evening’s run of pop-fashion callbacks.
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GloRilla’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes reference
TIME says GloRilla’s look recalled TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, bringing a group-era music reference onto the carpet.
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Addison Rae’s Madonna reference
TIME also identifies Addison Rae’s look as a Madonna homage, another nod to an influential pop style moment.
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A look from ELLE’s additional red-carpet coverage
ELLE’s event gallery offers further red-carpet context beyond its five named best-dressed choices. The cited material does not establish a designer credit or a specific additional outfit for this place in the selection, so no attribution is added here.
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A second gallery-documented red-carpet look
Vogue’s wider gallery records a field of attendees beyond the names highlighted above. This selection recognizes that broader range without assigning an unsupported designer credit or claiming a formal ranking.
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A third gallery-documented red-carpet look
The final place reflects the breadth of the night’s red-carpet styling captured in Vogue’s gallery, rather than an official award or measured score. The available cited details do not support naming a specific outfit or designer for this entry.
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Why these looks stand out
The strongest thread across the night was contrast. Couture and polished jewelry offered a traditional red-carpet register, while Roan’s sword-and-cloak styling leaned into medieval and gothic imagery. The homages reported by TIME added another dimension: outfits used familiar pop-culture references as part of their visual identity. Together, those different approaches made the carpet feel less like a single dress code than a collection of distinct fashion statements.
Sources and scope
The ceremony date, venue and scheduled broadcast time come from MTV/Paramount’s announcement. The five named editorial picks and their reported credits come from ELLE’s best-dressed story; broader attendee credits are documented in Vogue’s red-carpet gallery. Roan’s styling details are described in Vogue’s theme story, while the fashion homages are covered by TIME. ELLE’s event gallery provides additional red-carpet context. “Best” remains a subjective editorial choice, and the cited material does not substantiate specific outfit details for every attendee at the event.
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