It must be the season of the witch at the 2026 MTV VMAs. Los Angeles may still feel like summer but attendees from Charli xcx to Off Campus star Ella Bright are embracing the autumn equinox with aplomb.
Celebrities brought their own takes on toil and trouble to the red carpet, though. Charli opted for a black velvet Saint Laurent set based on Anthony Vaccarello’s fall 2017 collection: an ultra-low-rise column skirt with a cropped balloon-sleeved top with a mesh window for maximum cleavage. (Her smooth black blowout, smokey eye, and deep red manicure drove home the look.) Bright also took a vampiric avenue starting with a new hairstyle, then opting for a black satin corset dress with a pearl choker—plus a pair of slim black sunglasses for a contemporary touch.
Teyana Taylor, meanwhile, took a more maximalist approach to the witchy look in Zuhair Murad couture. The actor was an early standout of the night in a sheer black lace gown with a plunging neckline, thigh-high slit, and plenty of ostrich feather embellishments.
Adam Lambert also got the memo. The singer hit the VMAs carpet in a theatrical black satin cape replete with bell sleeves and a sweeping cape. And if Lambert’s ADAM headpiece is calling to mind Jonathan Anderson’s Dior resort 2027 collection, that’s because the singer tapped the famed milliner Philip Treacy to help him finish the look.
Be it over-the-top fashion or understated glamour, the 2026 MTV VMAs carpet proves that there’s nothing wrong with a little practical magic this fall.
