5 Fashion Trends That Defined the 2026 MTV VMAs Red Carpet

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet did not produce one dominant uniform. Instead, five recurring ideas connected many of the night’s most distinctive looks: dark romantic dressing, corset construction, sheer fabrics, dramatically lowered waistlines and over-the-knee boots.

Those 2026 MTV VMAs red carpet fashion trends appeared across designers, generations and musical genres at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 27. Charli xcx and Teyana Taylor moved toward black gothic glamour, Tyla and Sombr pushed waistlines downward, and stars including Bebe Rexha turned footwear into part of the main silhouette rather than an afterthought. Vogue’s survey of the carpet similarly highlighted dark glamour and ultra-low-rise styling among the night’s recurring ideas.

1. Dark romance replaced basic black

Black was everywhere, but the more interesting pattern was how it was used. Instead of conventional black eveningwear, several attendees combined the color with velvet, lace, sheer panels, feathers and exaggerated proportions.

Charli xcx wore a black Saint Laurent ensemble built around an ultra-low-rise column skirt and cropped velvet top with dramatic sleeves and a sheer central panel. Teyana Taylor took a more ornate route in Zuhair Murad couture, pairing sheer black embroidery with a plunging neckline and feathered trim.

Adam Lambert extended the mood into menswear with a theatrical black satin cape and headpiece, while Ella Bright used black satin, corsetry and pearls for another variation on the dark-romantic idea.

Vogue identified the pattern as a distinctly “witchy” turn on the carpet, connecting Charli, Taylor, Lambert, Bright and Bebe Rexha through variations on the same darker visual language.

The aesthetic also fits a larger seasonal shift already visible in celebrity dressing. TSJ’s guide to fall 2026 fashion trends identified opulent romance, velvet, gothic lace and richer texture as ideas moving from runway collections into wearable celebrity style.

2. Corsetry moved from underwear reference to construction

Corset details were another recurring device, but they appeared in different forms rather than as copies of one silhouette.

Taylor Swift’s Tamara Ralph look paired a fitted black upper half with a dramatic silver skirt, while visible corset construction helped define the waist. LISA’s red The Attico gown similarly used a corset-like bodice beneath a sheer column silhouette and oversized Quine Li wrap.

Bebe Rexha leaned more explicitly into lingerie references in black lace corsetry, while Bella Poarch’s look combined exposed construction, lace and trailing elements.

The recurrence matters because corsetry was not restricted to a single aesthetic. On the same carpet it could support Swift’s high-shine eveningwear, LISA’s monochromatic red statement and the darker lingerie language appearing elsewhere.

The red-carpet appearance came during an especially visible night for LISA, who later gave “SaWaDiKa” its first televised performance and won Best Pop for “Dream.”

3. Sheer dressing became a texture, not a single naked-dress formula

Transparency was widespread, but the strongest looks used it as one material among several.

Teyana Taylor’s Zuhair Murad gown layered sheer embroidered sections with feathers. LISA combined a sheer red column with an oversized textural outer layer. Charli xcx inserted transparency into a velvet two-piece rather than wearing a conventional sheer gown.

Other attendees, including Rei Ami and Slayyyter, approached transparency through embellishment and crystal detailing.

Other attendees approached transparency through embellishment, lace and crystal detailing, showing how the effect could move from overt lingerie references toward more textural eveningwear.

That variety prevented sheer dressing from becoming one repetitive silhouette. The common element was visible skin, but lace, velvet, crystals, embroidery and corsetry changed how that transparency functioned from look to look. Marie Claire’s red-carpet coverage documented both Taylor’s sheer embroidered Zuhair Murad gown and LISA’s sheer red Attico column.

4. Waistlines dropped dramatically

If one silhouette pointed most directly toward the early 2000s, it was the return of the ultra-low waist.

Tyla arrived in a blue snakeskin-effect bra and pencil skirt from Mowalola’s Spring 2027 collection, with the skirt sitting dramatically below the natural waist. Charli xcx’s Saint Laurent column skirt similarly sat low on the hips, while Sombr paired his custom ERL outerwear with low-rise flared leather trousers.

Ciara Miller offered another version of the idea through low-slung lace-up trousers.

The repetition across both men’s and women’s styling made this more than a single celebrity’s Y2K reference. Vogue’s red-carpet survey specifically highlighted the ultra-low-rise styling worn by Tyla and Sombr as one of the evening’s visible patterns.

5. Over-the-knee boots became part of the outfit itself

Some of the night’s most conspicuous footwear climbed well beyond the ankle.

Paris Hilton coordinated her embellished mini with similarly embellished over-the-knee boots, while Bebe Rexha paired her black lace look with lace-up thigh-high footwear. Madisin Rian extended a cow-print motif across her clothing and boots.

The important distinction was coordination. These were not neutral boots added beneath dresses. Pattern, texture and embellishment connected the footwear directly to the clothing above it.

Marie Claire identified over-the-knee boots as a recurring VMA trend, pointing to Hilton, Rexha and Rian as three different interpretations.

The VMAs remain a testing ground for celebrity fashion

Taken together, the five trends show why the VMAs continue to occupy a different fashion space from more formal awards ceremonies. The carpet can accommodate couture, archival references, lingerie construction, exaggerated footwear and deliberate Y2K nostalgia without requiring everyone to interpret glamour in the same way.

The night also connected directly with a larger seasonal shift. TSJ has been tracking how fall fashion is moving from runway ideas into celebrity wardrobes, and the VMAs offered a concentrated version of that process: darker palettes arrived alongside exposed construction, dramatic texture and renewed interest in silhouettes associated with earlier decades.

None of the five 2026 MTV VMAs red carpet fashion trends belonged to a single celebrity. That repetition is what separated them from the night’s many memorable individual outfits and made them recognizable patterns across the carpet.