Taylor Swift attended the 2026 VMAs on Sunday, Sept. 27, and fans couldn’t help but notice that her VMAs look seemed like it was straight out of one of her previous eras. Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) said the black halter top and sequined skirt looked like something from her 1989 or Red eras, around 2012-2014. At the end of the day, Taylor Swift’s look at the VMAs was simple, iconic, and all too familiar.
While the pop star might be extending her The Life of a Showgirl era, her outfit — a simple black gown with mesh cutouts and a glittery, silver bottom half — was giving all the iconic early 2010s vibes from her Red and 1989 eras. And as if the outfit wasn’t enough, her mid-length hair was also fully straightened and styled with a blunt bang, which is fully 2012.Â
And as soon as Swift’s look dropped online, Swifties took to the internet to say the same thing. “She’s reheating the 1989 VMAS all we can do is gag omfggg,” wrote one user on X in response to the look. Another wrote: “If u told me this was 2014 Taylor I would believe u.”
The simple black and white vibe also matches the photo shoot Swift posted on Friday, Sept. 23, as promotion ahead of The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. In the pictures, Swift’s style is simple and elegant. In some photos, she wears a sleek, high-neck black gown that looks very similar to her VMAs look. I know Encore was a deluxe album for Life of a Showgirl, but it almost seems like she’s teasing a whole new era.
Styled by Joseph Cassell Falcorner, the “Patient Zero” singer’s mock-neck dress was from Australian designer Tamara Ralph’s winter/fall couture collection. This year’s look was much more toned down than Swift’s last VMAs, in 2024, where she wore a yellow and black plaid dress over high-waisted black shorts, knee-high black boots, leather gloves, and a matching choker.
Swift walked the carpet solo because her husband Travis Kelce had a Chiefs game at the Miami Dolphins early Sunday afternoon, and couldn’t make it to Los Angeles in time. We know the couple loves to match, though, so perhaps we’ll see them both in matching black-and-silver looks soon.
Swift was up for 11 awards at the 2026 VMAs, including Video of the Year, and received the inaugural Artist Directors Award, honoring her self-directed music videos. And speaking of self-directed videos, Swift dropped the music video for her new song “Patient Zero” during the award show. With such an exciting night for the artist, it’s no surprise she showed up looking stunning.
One user on X put it best: “Sometimes you don’t need a dramatic outfit when the fit already speaks for itself.” And this look says that Swift is entering a whole new — totally iconic — fashion era.