Taylor Swift Shuts Down the 2024 VMAs Red Carpet in a Tartan Corset and Cape

Taylor Swift is in her bombshell era—and wearing Dior.

Less than 24 hours after breaking the Internet with her official endorsement of Kamala Harris for President, Taylor Swift arrived at the 2024 VMAs ready to start another conversation. And maybe, ignite some Reputation (Taylor’s Version) fan theories along the way.

Styled by Joseph Cassell Falconer, Swift wore a plaid tartan bustier with an open skirt cinched at her waist, flowing behind her like a Highland warrior’s cape. That reference isn’t an accident: Swift’s look is a riff on a runway look from Dior’s Resort 2025 collection, which was originally presented in Scotland. The Braveheart-coded outfit also included black hot pants, thigh-high boots, and lace-up leather gloves.

Swift’s punk princess look was accentuated by a classic blow-out and a plaid choker coordinating with her corset’s print. She wore a lighter version of her signature red lipstick and heavy black eyeliner.

Fans are sure to go into a tailspin over the meaning of Swift’s look. So far, the singer, who’s up for 12 awards tonight, hasn’t commented on her inspiration. (She has, however, already won two awards: song of the summer and best duo.)

What we know is this: It’s the latest in a long line of VMAs appearances for the singer. For the 2023 installment, Swift wore a black, Reputation-coded Versace gown. The piece featured a thigh-high slit and gold embellishments central to the house’s design codes.

Taylor Swift has a quite a history with the MTV VMAs, both in terms of personal history and in fashion. Her first major style moment came in 2009, when she wore a one-shoulder silver gown by Kaufman Franco. That year, she performed “You Belong With Me” in the New York City subway—and was interrupted by Kanye West while accepting her Video of the Year Award for the same song. Their encounter on stage set off a chain of pop culture events too topsy-turvy to cover in full in a story about Swift’s 2024 VMAs look, but all roads led to her 2017 album, Reputation. One of Swift’s 12 nominations tonight is for an award honoring her performance on that fateful evening 15 years ago.

Swift’s VMAs style has taken many turns over the years, ranging from baroque Versace suiting (during the Lover era) to bodycon Hervé Leger gowns (around the first version of Red). The singer has also coordinated her VMAs appearances with major announcements and outfits to match.

In 2022, for example, Swift wore a mini by Oscar de la Renta that appeared to be assembled from strands of diamonds. Fans incorrectly interpreted the dress as a Reputation (Taylor’s Version) Easter egg, given its resemblance to a scene in her “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, in which Swift takes a bath in a tub full of diamonds. The dress was actually a nod to her forthcoming Midnights anthem “Bejeweled,” off an album Swift would announce onstage during an acceptance speech.

In the lead up to the 2024 VMAs, Taylor Swift wore a mix of Vivienne Westwood plaids and corsets, all that echo the silhouettes in her red carpet look tonight. But her 2024 VMAs look is undoubtedly her most memorable to date—no matter what it means.