MTV Video Music Awards: Red Carpet Commentary

The key look of last night’s MTV Video Music Awards was very much tight and shiny.

Double award winner Rihanna and Transformers star Megan Fox both went for blistering pink for their tight and shiny dresses - Megan got the cocktail version while Rihanna got the more formal one, serving up her breasts on a platter of structured satin.

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere went for a similar dress to Megan but in blue, and Melanie Brown went for the white version to coordinate with her suited husband Stephen Belafonte.

Rosario Dawson and Alicia Keys both went for slightly longer black versions of the old tight and shiny - with Alicia going all the way in a leather number. Rosario’s horizontal banding made her look bumpy - something Alicia’s structuring prevented - but Rosario got a far more flattering hair-do.

Beyonce Knowles - usually the leader of the tight and shiny brigade - went for a more muted shimmer (and a whole lot of boob tape) for her Grecian gown. And Mary J Blige went for a classy, if a bit dull, long and lean outfit.

Paris Hilton and Nicole Scherzinger were a bit more adventurous. Paris went for a leopard-print cocktail dress - and bouffant hair-do on loan from a politician’s wife in the 1980s - while the Pussycat Doll showed off her all-over, very orange tan with a backless gown, with a thigh-high slit up the skirt.

Shar Jackson’s dress was breastalicious - the cupping design always a (not terrible supportive but) cleavage-flattering look on bigger boobs - but her skirt? No. Just no.

Ditto Jennifer Hudson’s gown (and I mean gown, as in dressing gown). After all those rocking outfits she appeared in at award shows earlier in the year, this was the best she could come up with for now?

Shanna Moakler borrowed the beach robe concept from Jennifer - and (husband? ex-husband? do-they-even-know-anymore?) Travis Barker clearly just dashed out to the ceremony in the middle of a Meet the Barkers marathon session with his homies. Look, you can even see the spatters of pizza sauce on his shirt.

Perhaps Ashlee Simpson had similar spilling issues on her way to the show and stripped off her outer layer - leaving just her with just body-shaping lingerie for her red carpet appearance.

More Red Carpet Commentaries

• The Costume Institute Gala at the MMA in New York
• The Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
• The Oscars after-parties
• The Brit Awards
• The Grammys
• The BAFTAs
• The Golden Globes
• More Fashiontastic posts