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While I’m still holding a grudge against Taylor Swift for witholding her wedding photos, I am pleased that she’s returning to the spotlight this weekend. At the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 27, she’ll be the first person to receive the MTV VMA Artist Director Honors. The newly created award will recognize “groundbreaking music artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling,” according to a press release.
In honor of her upcoming first-of-its-kind recognition, I decided to chart her entire VMAs red carpet fashion evolution. For her first time at the event in 2008, an 18-year-old Swift wore a very twee, delicate short dress. Only one year later, she upped the glamour quotient with a glitzy full-length gown—she would later lean into this same Old Hollywood aesthetic at the VMAs in 2013 and 2023. In between, she enjoyed throwing us for a loop with a wide range of styles: an I-mean-business pantsuit, a playful romper, an ’80s-inspired blazer, and more. All in all, her VMAs fashion history is the perfect representation of Swift herself: multifaceted, unpredictable, and ever-changing.
2008 in Kaufmanfranco
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2009 in Kaufmanfranco
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2012 in J. Mendel
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2013 in Hervé Léger
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2014 in Mary Katrantzou
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2015 in Ashish
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2019 in Versace
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2022 in Oscar de la Renta
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2023 in Versace
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2024 in Dior
(Image credit: Getty Images)
