With her record-breaking hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter is easily one of 2024 VMAs’ most anticipated attendees.
Combined, her two songs are nominated for four awards, including: song of the year, best editing, best art direction, and best direction. Carpenter is also up for best pop, as well as artist of the year, competing against talent like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, SZA, and Eminem.
Though it’s her first time as a VMAs nominee, the pop star has been churning out red carpet hits at the annual MTV event for years. This year’s look, however, puts all the rest to shame (an extremely difficult feat, if I do say so myself).
Sabrina Carpenter stepped on the MTV VMAS 2024 red carpet on Sept. 11 wearing a glimmering white gown with romantic, vintage details. The corset dress—an archival design by Bob Mackie—featured a scalloped sweetheart neckline and embellishment throughout.
She played up the old-school glamour with a glossy ombré lip and wore her blonde hair in voluminous curls with a daring side-part. The pop star was the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe.
Though the look felt incredibly Marilyn, it was actually a hand-me-down worn by several over style icons. Madonna wore the look to the 1991 Oscars, pairing it with a matching white fur stole. Her glam likely acted as the blueprint for Carpenter's modern-day take.
This dress is also from the archives of The Nanny's costume closet, having made an appearance on Fran Drescher in the '90s show.
This look falls right into Carpenter's aesthetic, as the star has worn white to almost every VMAs appearance she's made. At last year’s award show, Carpenter channeled the aesthetic of a Victoria’s Secret angel, in bedazzled lingerie and gauzy white tulle. Her custom Vera Wang design featured a crystal-encrusted bustier, topped with a draped skirt with a matching train.
The year before that, she went retro, tapping into the 1950s glamour she so often embodies. Matching 2022’s black carpet, Carpenter wore a black column dress that featured a rainbow of colorful blooms.
The Rabanne creation was covered entirely in sequins and also utilized several oversized cut-outs for added drama. Her hair, meanwhile, was topped with a black headband and curled into ‘50s-inspired waves.
Carpenter’s first red carpet appearance dates all the way back to 2018, when the then-Disney star made her MTV VMAs debut. She chose a one-shoulder gown for the occasion—also in white—and styled the asymmetrical dress with patent leather nude pumps.
If red carpet style is counted, Carpenter's a shoe-in for every category.
