Taylor Swift is known for her preppy style, but she gave it a punk twist at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
Taking home seven out of her 12 nominations, Swift emerged as the night’s biggest winner. In addition to being named the 2024 VMA Artist of the Year, she bagged Best Pop, Video of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Song of Summer for her song Fortnight with Post Malone. Her self-directed music video also won Best Editing and Best Direction awards. She now holds the record for most MTV VMA wins, with 30 over Beyonce’s 26.
Though I found it unfortunate that she didn’t perform on stage or walk the red carpet with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, Taylor still attracted attention with her yellow plaid outfit, which brought to mind Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher Horowitz from the 1995 iconic movie Clueless.
Taylor Swift wins big at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards wearing a yellow plaid Dior zip-up corset top, an attached yellow plaid maxi skirt, and black velvet hotpants (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
She wore Dior instead of her Eras Tour go-to designers like Zuhair Murad, Vivienne Westwood, and Roberto Cavalli. Although I’m not a big fan of the outfit, I have to credit her for pulling it off. It was designed by Dior’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, for the French fashion house’s Resort 2025 collection, inspired by Christian Dior’s 1955 fashion presentation in Scotland.
The ensemble consisted of a taffeta plaid bustier corset top with a straight neckline and a fully zipped center front, allowing Taylor to showcase her ample cleavage. It’s held in place by thick black shoulder straps with a plaid choker encircling her neck.
The lower half of her ensemble is a pair of high-waisted black velvet hotpants and a flowing yellow plaid skirt attached to her waist with a black belt. The combo is eye-catching and edgy—ideal for the VMAs red carpet. But there’s something about it that I find unappealing; maybe it’s just too punk for me.
Not content with the punk elements, Swift and her stylist Joseph Cassell added strappy black leather fingerless gloves by Dior. While they enhanced the punk attitude of the ensemble, I wouldn’t say I liked the addition, as they made the look appear too overdone.
Taylor Swift enhances her look’s punk aesthetic with Dior strappy gloves, Lorraine Schwartz earrings, and smokey eye makeup (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Jemma Muradian fashioned Swift’s dirty blonde tresses in voluminous textured waves, with her signature full bangs framing her gorgeous features. Lorrie Turk, meanwhile, accentuated the punk motif of the look by giving Swift smokey eye makeup and matte red lipstick.
Elevating the punk glamour, Swift wore Lorraine Schwartz 30ct. yellow diamond and black jade earrings. Taylor Swift’s thigh-high boots added just the right amount of edge to the ensemble; a simple pair of pointed-toe pumps or open-toe sandals would have been an odd choice.
Swift wore Stuart Weitzman’s “Ultrastuart Maverick” boots, defined by their sultry thigh-high silhouette, side buckles, and silver-tone eyelets. You can buy them on Stuart Weitzman and Farfetch.
Taylor Swift teams her yellow plaid Dior outfit with black Stuart Weitzman Ultrastuart Maverick over-the-knee boots (Credit: Janet Mayer / INSTARimages)
Her boots are meticulously crafted in Spain from stretch nappa leather for a comfortable fit and are finished with pointed toes and 3.9-inch stiletto heels.
View this post on Instagram