Taylor Swift’s tartan VMAs look was an edgy step away from her signature style

(CNN) — Taylor Swift was among the many stars to channel ’90s fashion at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, wearing a chic taffeta bustier and skirt by Dior.

The yellow tartan was familiar, evoking one of the decade’s most iconic looks: The preppy Dolce and 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 nodded to the timeless on-screen outfit. In 2022, Natalie Portman donned a near-identical two piece for a Halloween costume, while Blackpink’s Jisoo, wore a version for the Dior Fall-Winter 2022 show in Paris.

But with its punk-accented stylings, in the form of black buckles, collar and zipped fitted front, Swift’s version is, by far, the edgiest. Completing the look with velvet shorts, thigh-high boots and gloves, the gown was straight from Dior’s 2025 Cruise collection, which drew inspiration from Scottish craft traditions and Mary, Queen of Scots. Quoting its founder Christian Dior, the brand called tartan “the only fancy fabric that resists fashions” in the show notes. Models clad in gothic plaid pieces walked through the grand gardens of Drummond Castle, Perthshire in Scotland.

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

Swift won big at the Video Music Awards, nabbing seven of the ceremony’s “Moon Person” trophies, including its marquee prize: Video of the Year, for “Fortnight” with Post Malone.

The pair also won Best Collaboration, and Swift used that acceptance speech to commemorate the September 11 attacks.

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

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