Taylor Swift, the Female Artist of the Year nominee, “Fortnight” singer, and the world’s most powerful childless cat lady, arrived at the VMAs looking visibly comfortable. And who can blame her? She’s had the best professional year of her life, she’s in love with a hot man, and she may have just influenced the course of a presidential election. Now is the time to show up in a killer look. She’s been moving into tougher styles a lot lately, but this look is sexy, grown-up, and strong in a way that feels forward-thinking for this megastar.

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After a series of health issues that sidelined her for a while, Halsey returned to the VMAs to debut a new song in a classic dress. She wore this vintage Versace dress that Elizabeth Hurley last wore in 1996. We love classic ’90s fashion, but the pearls are oddly placed, the print is really garish, and we’re not sure dyeing her hair to match was such a good idea.

The “In Your Hands” singer brought a little old-fashioned Hollywood glamour to the event, opting for a classic chansonnier style in this beaded, fringe-embellished lipstick red strapless dress. The look is sophisticated, the hair is stunning and the colour suits her fantastically. However, the fringe looks very distracting and the cutout at the hip almost ruins the whole thing. Nevertheless, she sparkles and shines in it, despite our minor criticisms.

The “Wanna Be” singer and multiple nominee showcased the legendary authenticity of ’90s R&B in what looked like an homage to Left-Eye Lopes of legendary ’90s girl group TLC. It’s a fun and sexy salute to R&B history. Is it chic? Not really, but we doubt that was the goal. The bandeau top (to put it generously) is terrible, but the jacket and pants are great. Love the hairstyle!

Because sometimes all you need at the VMAs is a little string and a smile if you know how to sell it. Luckily for the “Water” singer and Best New Artist nominee, her fun, sassy dress didn’t come across as messy as it could have, thanks in part to the fun and fabulous styling. Her hair looks amazing, and we love the combination of the turquoise necklace and coral sandals. It’s a fun, daring, perfect look for the end of summer, as long as you don’t trip over the bangs.

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The Video Vanguard Award winner apparently swam there after her boat capsized. At least that’s what her look suggested. We’ll never complain about someone wearing crazy or eye-catching fashion to the VMAs, but this just looks drab and over-the-top to us. It’s not funny or witty, and the dripping wet style is off-putting.

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In the grand tradition of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Madonna, the “Mil Veces” singer and Best Latin Award nominee joked that she was trying to manifest a change in her life, but dressing as a bride at the VMAs was practically de rigueur for pop stars at that point. She avoided cliches with a minimalist veil and bondage-inspired bodice, which gave the look a touch of drama and sultry hotness.

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We don’t know what it is about this one, but we just didn’t like it. We’ve always been huge fans and supporters of his big gay nonsense, both on the red carpet and off it, but the Pink Power Ranger cosplay at the VMAs seemed kind of stale or boring. Save that for Comic Con.

The “ICU” singer looked like a romantic storm cloud in this airy, ethereal dress that was barely there but had a pretty illusory effect. We’re not the biggest fans of car-wash skirts, but there’s something dreamy, cool and modern about this look that really suits her. She looked stunning.

Sometimes we get annoyed by silly, novelty designs that make it look like a dress is falling down or dripping wet, but we’ve never seen a dress that made it look like the wearer was escaping some kind of trap. The host of the evening hinted that she has this dress in the bag – literally. It’s a fun design that’s also a little hot. It’s probably not the easiest to walk in, but she looks cute.

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The “Good Looking” singer came to present an award, but it also felt like the new mom was having a night out and treating herself to a little glam. She’s always had a bohemian, sexy boho style, and this is more of that. It feels very her, but we have to be honest: The proportions are odd here. The feather jacket is a fun idea, but it just gives her gorilla arms. The cutouts are oddly placed. If she’s comfortable, we’re happy for her, but this look doesn’t work for us.

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Appearing at the VMAs to promote his new song “Nobody Knows,” the singer wore this surprisingly chic and understated D&G suit. He’s got a real handle on classic menswear, and we’re not saying this suit doesn’t look amazing on him, but like so much of his public style, we find it incredibly boring. He could wear it in his sleep.

The “Greedy” singer and Best Pop Award nominee practically redefined the sheer dress in this sheer/sexy Cavalli dress. There’s not much to criticize or judge about a look like this. It either works or it doesn’t, and in this case, it works like crazy. She looks incredibly hot.

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The “Nasty” singer was passed over for a nomination this year and we wonder if that’s why she worked so hard on the red carpet. Rick Owens is not easy to pull off in such a setting and if we’re being honest, we don’t really like the design, but she looks incredibly hot and there is a Furious feel that we can’t help but love a little.