Regardless of whether award show broadcasts do it for you or not, the thrill of the red carpet usually delivers.
As celebrities from far and wide gather under one arena roof and pull out all of the glam stops, the red carpet is an opportunity to make a bold statement, dress in the finest formalwear or even just bring along a dressed up and gushing proud family member or parent along for the first time.
When it comes to the MTV Video Music Awards specifically, stars have had a lot of fun with their looks, to say the very least. Considering the guilty-pleasure fact that experimenting with fashion can either be hit or miss, the VMAs red carpet certainly gives us all a lot to talk about. Over the years, stars have flaunted their creative style, making headlines for rocking everything from practically their birthday suit to outfits that very well could be a costume in one of the music videos the event itself is honoring.
As stars do their best to push boundaries without finding themselves on the ‘worst of’ fashion recaps the next day (or owning it if they do), may the tradition continue, regardless of the outcomes of the awards themselves, that the illustrious fashion behind the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards does not disappoint.
To celebrate the awards kicking off this weekend, on Sunday, August 27, we took a look back at some of our favorite (or at least, the most memorable) looks from the VMAs’ colorful past.
Madonna, 1984
Leave it to a pop icon like Madonna to kick off the first annual MTV VMAs in a quintessential 80s gown, complete with a veil. She also performed her smash single, “Like A Virgin,” while donning the all-white look.
TLC, 1995
TLC took home four awards this year, rocking matching looks for the red carpet as well as while they took the stage to perform a medley of their hits off of their sophomore record, _CrazySexyCoo_l. On stage, they rocked a combination of coordinating black and white checkered and striped tops and pants.
Spice Girls, 1997
While each Spice Girl rocked their own signature looks, a massive stand-out was their incredibly chunky platform shoes.
Rose McGowan, 1998
Actress Rose McGowan shocked many on the red carpet in 1998, wearing an outfit that was essentially a g-string with a sheer cover, with the extremely revealing outfit made entirely out of “intricate beads.” Years later, Rihanna and Amber Rose have also rocked similar styles.
Gwen Stefani, 1998
Gwen Stefani has a long history of slaying the VMAs’ red carpet but many often revisit her memorable 1998 look, during which she wore a blue fuzz triangle bikini with blue hair to match.
Lil Kim, 1999
It would be a disservice to talk about the history of the VMAs red carpet without mentioning Lil Kim’s purple jumpsuit, complete with a matching pastie, platform hills and a purple wig.
Aaliyah, 2000
Aaliyah took home three awards in 2000, a year before her untimely and tragic passing. During this year at the VMAs, she looked stunning, rocking a long yellow dress with black tiger stripes.
Jennifer Lopez, 2000
In 2000, Jennifer Lopez had a great year at the VMAs, taking home an award for her single “Waiting for Tonight.” She wore a white bandana, hoop earrings and a crop top, showing off her ever-killer abs.
Destiny’s Child, 2001
While Destiny’s Child had a nice handful of great style moments in awards show past, the group’s 2001 matching orange fringe dresses, complete with baby blue boots, got people talking. While the trio was nominated for five awards, they only took home Best R&B Video.
Macy Gray, 2001
Macy Gray got people talking in the early aughts, using the VMAs’ red carpet as an opportunity to plug her album. The front of the dress infamously read, “My New Album Drops Sept. 18, 2001,” with the back donning “Buy It!” Talk about shameless (and memorable) self-promotion!
In 2003, Missy Elliott sported golf-chic, with a green and yellow adidas get-up. The same year, Missy won her first solo awards, including Video of the Year for “Work It.” She also performed alongside Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, a performance that is best known for that one time Madonna kissed the pop singers on the mouths.
Fergie, 2006
Fergie made quite the appearance in 2006, wearing Burberry shorts and a crop dress shirt with a dress tie. She also performed her breakout solo track “London Bridge,” alongside a crew of “royal guards” and dancers.
Rihanna, 2007
Rihanna looked stunning wearing a strapless bright pink dress with her signature bob hairstyle. She took home two awards for “Umbrella,” including the coveted Video of the Year.
Lil Mama wore a bedazzled pink-and-purple custom dress and bonnet, inspired by, well, her inner baby. She completed the look with a pacifier, ensuring that fans watching at home had plenty to talk about.
Lady Gaga, 2010
2010 was a colossal year for Lady Gaga, who ended up taking home a whopping 8 awards. That, coupled with the fact she wore a dress made out of real red meat, securing her reputation as one of pop culture’s most eccentric style icons.
Nicki Minaj, 2011
The details of Nicki Minaj’s 2011 VMAs look have gone down in history as one of the most interesting looks spotted on the red carpet. With a towering beehive of pink and yellow hair buns piled on top of her head completing the look, the gown’s theme played up to the candy raver fantasies of our dreams. Nice one, Nicki.
Katy Perry, 2014
In 2014, Katy Perry arrived at the VMAs red carpet in an orange Lamborgini, alongside her date, Riff Raff. Together, the pair sported matching all-denim custom Versace looks.
Miley Cyrus, 2015
As memorable as Miley Cyrus’ many outfits were while she was fulfilling her duties of the 2015 VMAs, was the fact that the pop singer found herself being called out on stage live by the likes of Nicki Minaj…
Blac Chyna and Amber Rose, 2015
In 2015, infamous best friends Blac Chyna and Amber Rose took to the red carpet to make a statement, with each wearing outfits littered with derogatory phrases women hear all too often.
Beyonce and Bue Ivy, 2016
In 2011, while wearing a one-shouldered Lanvin gown, Beyoncé surprised the world with the announcement she was pregnant with Blue. 5 years later, the iconic mother-daughter duo arrived wearing matching feathered, angelic ensembles that had everyone gushing and applauding, as well as creating memes inspired by Blue’s “unbothered” demeanor while wearing her princess gown.