Taylor Swift's tartan VMAs look was a sharp step away from her signature style CNN

CNN
–

Taylor Swift was among the many stars of the '90s fashion channel at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, wearing a chic taffeta bustier and Dior skirt.

The yellow tartan was a familiar one, evoking one of the decade's most iconic looks: the preppy Dolls & Gabbana blazer and pleated skirt worn by fictional character Cher Horowitz (played by Alicia Silverstone) in the 1995 hit movie “Clueless.” But this isn't the first time Dior has bowed to on-screen clothing. In 2022, Natalie Portman donned two nearly identical pieces for a Halloween costume, while Blackpink's Jisoo wore a version for Dior's Fall-Winter 2022 show in Paris.

But with its punk-accented styling, in the form of black buckles, collars and a zipped front, Swift's version is by far the most interesting. Completing the look with velvet shorts, thigh-high boots and gloves, the look was straight from Dior's 2025 Cruise collection, which drew inspiration from Scottish craft heritage and Mary Queen of Scots. Quoting its founder Christian Dior, the show notes called tartan “the only fancy fabric that resists fashion”. Models dressed in gothic plaid pieces walk through the grand gardens of Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.

Wednesday night's look was a departure from Swift's usual red carpet style. The megastar is usually never without crystals, diamonds or sequins, often sticking to classic silhouettes and more overtly glamorous gowns. She even traded her signature red lipstick for a dramatic black smokey eye.

Swift won big at the Video Music Awards, taking home seven of the show's “Moon Person” trophies, including the marquee award: Video of the Year, for “Fortnite” with Post Malone.

The pair also won the award for best collaboration, and Swift used that acceptance speech to commemorate the September 11 attacks.

“I'm just thinking about what happened 23 years ago, everyone who lost a loved one and everyone we lost,” he said on stage. The star's appearance at the VMAs came a day after she endorsed Kamala Harris for US President, a move that made headlines around the world.