MTV VMAs 2025 Menswear: Bold Moves and Missed Notes
The MTV VMAs red carpet has always been a playground for menswear. Some lean into theatrical excess while others cling to timeless cool. This year felt like a tug-of-war between those who wanted to push boundaries and those who seemed to forget where they were.
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic / Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTV
Retro Romance
Sombr has always struck me as more of a Saint Laurent guy, but at the VMAs he leaned into Alessandro Michele’s world of eclectic Valentino. The first Resort 2026 look read more vintage than rock ‘n’ roll, and while it suited him, I was craving sharper edge. The second outing delivered. A pink velvet embellished shirt with pink polka-dot trousers, finished with Valentino Garavani studded boots, finally scratched that indie-rock itch I was waiting for.
Valentino Resort 2026
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Valentino Fall 2025
Valentino Fall 2025
Eclectic Ensemble
The Marías are an aesthetic dream on stage, so it made sense they turned to Alessandro Michele’s Valentino Fall 2025 collection. Each look carried its own character, a swirl of vintage eccentricity and personality. Trouser length aside, nothing jarred. Their music is layered and genre-blurring, and their fashion followed suit.
Backpack Blues
Chance the Rapper is usually so considered, but this sweater layered with a backpack harness and oversized trousers fell flat. Underwhelming by his own standards.
Leather Legacy
Yungblud looked like he’d channelled Steven Tyler directly, stepping out shirtless under a fur-trimmed leather coat. It’s a tried-and-true rock formula, but I can’t deny he has the energy and attitude to sell it.
Saint Laurent Stalwart
Lenny Kravitz and Saint Laurent are practically a marriage at this point. His shirtless suit look was fine, but too safe for the VMAs. Give me skinny leather trousers or bust.
Playful Classic
LL Cool J took a more playful approach than expected, stepping away from the usual rapper tropes with a look that felt both relaxed and considered. Not everything landed perfectly – too long trousers and shade way too black for this outfit – but there was a freshness to it that I appreciated, especially paired with his signature cool confidence. A Jacob & Co. completed his look.
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