Sabrina Carpenter Recreates One of Britney Spears's Most Revealing Looks for the VMAs After-Party
She's channeling an iconic past red carpet in the present.
The MTV Video Music Awards are a night when celebrities and audiences gather to celebrate the music industry's best talent. This year, Sabrina Carpenter leaned into that concept, channeling not one but two pop legends through her costuming.
The "Espresso" singer first arrived to the 2024 awards show wearing an archival sequin gown from celeb-favorite Bob Mackie, styled by Jared Ellner. The designer has been responsible for some of music's most iconic looks in history, having dressed stars like Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and, most famously, Cher. Carpenter's dress, specifically, is a relic from Madonna—the singer wore the glimmering gown on her 1991 Vanity Fair cover and again to the Academy Awards that year.
After channeling Madonna on the red carpet, Carpenter moved on to another iconic VMAs look, courtesy of Britney Spears. She showed up to the after-party at Electric Lady Studios wearing a white lace mini dress with '70s-style bell sleeves tied with a bow. The see-through confection was from Gucci's 1996 runway. It was totally unlined, giving fans a peak at Carpenter's coordinating bra and undies.
Carpenter's playful style came out in full force, in the form of a lunchbox-style Balmain handbag covered in lipstick prints. The cheeky motif is a nod to yet another pop star: her. Carpenter's new Short n' Sweet album features the design on its cover art.
Additional details included Messika chandelier earrings and a pair of dizzyingly-high platform pumps from Giuseppe Zanotti.
Though the outfit came in Carpenter's signature all-white colorway (she's worn the hue to nearly every VMAs she's attended), her look called to mind a Spears moment from years past. The "Baby One More Time" singer wore a nearly-identical dress to the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards—hers, however, was made of sultry black lace.
Carpenter understood the assignment, three times over.
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Kelsey (she/her) is a freelance fashion editor and writer, specializing in e-commerce and celebrity style content. With more than nine years of experience in digital media, Kelsey has a knack for turning top-performing content into top-selling content. Before taking her talents to Marie Claire, Kelsey was the Senior Fashion Editor at Bustle, where she oversaw the site’s fashion coverage and launched a successful luxury handbag series called Secure The Bag. Prior to Bustle, she came from a six-year stint at Seventeen, during which she managed the team’s fashion and beauty verticals and led e-commerce strategy. In addition to writing and editing, Kelsey also offers freelance creative consulting services, as well as content creation. Follow @klstieg on Instagram for 'fit pics and travel recommendations.
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