2024 MTV VMA Predictions

Three metallics and one merciful bit of clown bait

The MTV VMAs are slated for Wednesday, September 11 hosted at the UBS Arena in New York City. Taylor’s attendance isn’t confirmed, but she does headline the event as the act with the most nominations at an even dozen. Of that twelve, nine are for the Tortured Poets lead single “Fortnight”. Taylor typically has a strong appearance record at this awards ceremony, having previously attended ten times since 2008 (look out for that red carpet recap next week!). I’m currently betting that she will make an appearance. 

The dress code for the VMAs typically leans towards the wacky and the outrageous. While recent years have seen most people translate this to mean “as naked as possible”, generally speaking this is a night for freaky fashion flags to freely fly. Hence why Taylor has previously felt comfortable appearing in alphagetti soup baby onesies by Mary Katrantzou (aka The Incident) and sequin houndstooth jogger sets by Ashish. Silly, ridiculous, and weird ensembles are the norm and encouraged. I’ll put it on record again and again that I may pull a face at The Incident (and still do, a decade later) but I will always have some semblance of appreciation for the risk, for the fervour, for the fun of it all. 

The biggest critique most have for Taylor and her style is that she is ‘safe’. ‘Basic’. ‘Pretty’. The anti-It Girl. Even if Taylor did want to overcome that hurdle, I suspect she would find even more critical hoops to hop through. When she’s already set precedent for being seemingly underwhelming, the journey to changing people’s minds is an uphill battle she isn’t interested in fighting. But if she were to do so, in my eye, rehabbing her ‘basic’ image has two main sticking points. Firstly, doing so would undermine the curated image she’s masterminded her entire career. The one set upon a scaffolding of being relatable and approachable. Secondly, such a dramatic departure would likely necessitate a complete overhaul of her glam team (to prove the seriousness of the efforts to revamp her look) - which comprises stylist Joseph Cassell, makeup artist Lorrie Turk, and hair stylist Jemma Muradian - who have been with her for over 15 years. As someone who runs her global empire like a small neighbourhood family business, employee retention and loyalty has been the master key to maintaining her kingdom. Logistics aside, what makes her fashion fascinating to watch for most of her fans is not for the tier of couture house she pulls from but how it’s an extension of her music. Her art, sonically and stylistically, has been neatly divided into recognizable ‘eras’ of her life. A dovetailed effort to create a unified time capsule of her legacy. 

I give this preamble to say that celebrity fashion wackiness is not a universal unit of measurement. One person’s trashy is another person’s Tuesday. 

With that in mind, here are four of my picks for Taylor to wear at the 2024 MTV VMAs. Three metallics and one merciful bit of clown bait plus a bonus moodboard of the ones that didn’t make the final cut but that I had been mulling over for ‘vibes’ as part of the research process. 

Free subscribers will be able to preview the first two looks from my predictions and paid subscribers will get to see all four plus my initial moodboard when researching this post. Thank you to all subscribers who help support the editorial efforts to bring this newsletter to life.

Alexander McQueen Spring 2024 

You might recognize this from my Tortured Poets Eras Tour costume prediction post. Well, I loved it so much I thought it deserved a full-length outing in the form of a formal red carpet prediction. To me this occupies a Taylor take on “wacky” what with the moulded cups, graphic plunge at the neckline, and a strandlike skirt made from deconstructed filaments of metallic silver. While I was researching the latest runways for this post, I couldn’t help but pull a lot of black gowns (as you’ll see in the moodboard below). But given that Taylor wore black to this award show last year when she wore custom Versace, I couldn’t help but feel like she’d intentionally avoid the colour so as not to draw too direct a comparison to her most recent appearance. So I circled back to her other go-to colour of choice: Shiny. I’d imagine Taylor would wear this with big waves, door-knocker diamond earrings, a statement onyx cocktail ring and a smattering of stackable bands. Likely finished with a smoky shimmery eye and silver metallic platform peep toe sandals. 

Oscar de la Renta Pre-Fall 2024 

There was something “gold cage hostage to my feelings” meets “now I’m his daisy” about this dress that I couldn’t ignore. In addition to how its bustier sensibilities feel like they still service the TTPD aesthetic. Plus it’s by one of her go-to designers Oscar de la Renta. You might recall that Taylor wore an OdlR dress to the 2022 ceremony. Also known as the night she shocked us all and announced her tenth studio album Midnights during an acceptance speech. Might she use this awards show as yet another vehicle to drop another album announcement? Sleek, straight hair with gold bangles and matching minimalist ankle strap sandals would be my ideal here. Along with a soft, petal pink lip for contrast. How fun would a vine like ear climber be to add to the ‘trellis’ imagery of the dress.