The 2023 MTV Music Video Awards were held on September 12, 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. One of the best parts of any awards show is the red carpet fashion parade that happens before the main event. It's particularly fun to watch the celebrity arrivals at the VMAs, which had a pink carpet this year, because the fashion choices tend to be more edgy and out there than say, the Academy Awards.
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Whenever I put together a best and worst dressed list, I like to remind the reader and myself that it's not that serious. Fashion at an event like this is meant to be fun and provides a form of self-expression for both designers and the people wearing the designs. It's meant to give us something to talk about.
Also, just because I love something or dislike something that was worn doesn't mean that you will have the same opinion and that's kind of the beauty of fashion and art in general. With that being said, here are my picks for best and worst dressed celebrities at the 2023 VMAs.
Best: Demi Lovato wearing all black.
Let me tell you why Demi's all-black ensemble is a win for me. It's because of the proportions. Black on black can look kind of blah, but her look is architectural. Sure, the shapes and proportions aren't something you would wear on an average day, but this wasn't an average day.
Best: Ts Madison went for festive.
She looks adorable and like she's headed to a party to have fun. What's there not to love about the look and mood? Also, it fits her to perfection. The train is a fun detail as well.
Best: Peso Pluma in mostly white.
I like this dressed up/dressed down combo because Peso Pluma looks completely comfortable in it. Like he wasn't trying too hard, but he still dressed up for the occasion, you know?
Best: Selena Gomez in Oscar de la Renta
This might be my favorite look of the night. She is a freakin' vision in this smokin'-hot Oscar de la Renta dress. The dress is a dream and so is Selena. She kept the rest of her look simple so that she could be the focus of attention.
Best: Cardi B in Dilara Findikoglu.
Cardi stunned in silver. The dress had texture and dimension that was echoed in the arm cuffs she wore. Even her nails were in the same metallic shade as her dress.
Best: Offset lookin' dapper and doing a matchy thing.
There's no denying that Offset looked fantastic in his suit. What made his whole look even better was that he wore hair accessories that matched Cardi B's dress. They coordinated without being too matchy-matchy.
Best: Karol G in Ashi Studio Haute Couture.
Mesh was big on the pink carpet this year and Karol G is one of the only people who managed to wear it successfully, in my opinion. Maybe it's because of the shade of the dress or that it was worn with a cape-like coat in the same fabric.
Best: Stephen Sanchez in Gucci.
Stephen Sanchez ended up on a bunch of worst dressed lists, because of the blue neckerchief thing he wore, but that's what I love about his fit. It's giving charro vibes in a good way.
Best: Shakira in Versace.
Not gonna lie, when I saw Shakira's dress from the front, I was like "meh." But then I caught a glimpse of the back and I understand why she chose it. It's stunning and shows off her back.
Best: Nelly Furtado also gave good back.
Speaking of dresses that stun from the back, Nelly Furtado's black gown was back-tastic! The delicate strip of fabric that goes down the back almost doubles as jewelry.
Worst: Saweetie in Area.
I wish I could put Saweetie in her own category because in my opinion she was the best worst dressed celeb. Her dress is a beautiful color and looks great on her. The bone details are funny and I appreciate them, but in the end, they are a little too goofy to be great.
Worst: Doechii in Dsquared2.
This look is just a big NOPE for me. Like WHY? The dress could have been OK styled differently, but with that baseball cap and those arm warmers it looks like she's overdressed for a sporting event.
Worst: Tinashe is a whole lotta mesh and not much el-sh.
Is that duct tape covering her precious bits? If it is, all I can say is OUCH because removing it can't be fun. The mesh overlay is kind of boring and the duct tape under details are more uninspired than edgy.
Worst: Kaliii in vibrant orange.
The color is kind of cool, but the design of the dress leaves me cold. The bottom part looks like a skirt that is falling off. It doesn't work or blend well with the rest of the dress.
Worst: Thalía in Dolce & Gabbana.
Thalía wore a dress that could have possibly been made from curtains. The fabric looked heavy and like it should be worn in the fall or winter, not the end of summer.
Worst: Chris Olsen doing a mesh thing.
Maybe I'm just over mesh or something, but this shirt is just not that special. The pants and the shoes are fine, the shirt looks like it belongs on the boardwalk on a sunny day.
Worst: Doja Cat in Monse.
Doja Cat's dress appeared to be the work of a drunk spider. There was little to it and what there was to it didn't even make you go WOW. It's a tattered mess of a thing. Love the confidence, though.
Worst: Justina Valentine in electric blue.
This is the perfect onstage look for a Las Vegas showgirl. It just seems out of its element at the VMAs. It feels too costumey and the materials look cheap, even if they aren't.
Worst: Tiffany Haddish in Jason Wu.
Tiffany did the mesh thing like so many this year. To be honest, in this picture, her dress looks pretty good. But from other angles the dress just fails to impress.
Worst: Tayshia Adams in draped orange fabric.
There are so many things that I don't like about this look. Is it a dress? Is it a jumpsuit? Is it made of spandex? Why the shoulder pads? Somehow Tayshia still manages to look lovely, but that's all her.
