Lizzo Stunned at the VMAs in the Most Lizzo Way
She joked about the sheer amount of fabric on her gown.
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Lizzo is essentially iconic just by showing up to a place of her choosing, but her red-carpet fashion is truly something else.
If you're still recovering from her disco ball moment at the recent BET Awards, the sheer dress she wore to Cardi B's birthday, or the hot pink bikini and Chanel tights combo she used to celebrate a new chart win, you might need a minute before you can truly take in the full effect of her VMAs arrival look.
Otherwise, here goes: She made a very Lizzo-like splash in a gigantic dark blue satin ballgown by Jean-Paul Gaultier, with an off-the-shoulder style, and tons of drapy fabric to ensure she wouldn't go unnoticed.
Joking about the look on Twitter, the star wrote:
"My stylist: How much fabric do you wanna wear?
"Me: Yes."
Love this narrative for her.
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
The "About Damn Time" singer posted a video showing the dress in its full ballooning glory on Instagram, also taking the opportunity to show off the platformed combat boots she paired it with, which is definitely a more practical alternative to the classic red-carpet stiletto.
A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)
A photo posted by on
The star also matched her lipstick to the dress, and accessorized with a lip ring and a bunch of hoop earrings.
Her hair was slicked-back for a "wet" look, and Marie Claire got the low-down on how hairstylist Shelby Swain achieved it, in case you want your own at-home red-carpet moment.
Here are the instructions from Swain:
- To begin I had to set a foundation. Going into wig placement may seem simple but we must remember healthy hair is our best reward. To maintain Lizzo’s beautiful tresses I washed and cleansed with Matrix A Curl Can Dream Shampoo.
- Adding to the curl definition achieved during the shampoo, I went in and hydrated the curls to perfection with Matrix A Curl Can Dream Rich Mask. This combination allows Lizzo’s curls to pop from the gentle clarifying of the shampoo but also the moisture and buoyancy created with the mask.
- Next, I blew out the curls with the ghd helios professional hair dryer. This dryer not only dries the hair smooth with ease, but it adds shine as well. Then I protected the hair by applying Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Porosity Spray to fill in porosity and condition over-porous hair to create visibility smooth, static-free, and frizz-free hair.
- Once I finished blow drying, I was able to curate Lizzo’s Locs into a secure braided base by using Matrix Instacure Tension Reliever on the scalp to provide extra moisture and protection for her hair to remain gorgeous while flaunting this sleek bold hairstyle!
- Getting into the style, I LAID her wig and as I knew I would, I reached for the Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Porosity Spray because it is also pulling double duty as a detangler. I used the ghd max styler to straighten the tresses, however, to achieve the sleek blunt cut look, I still wanted some volume. I sprayed Matrix Vavoom Extra Full Freezing Spray to the roots for extra volume and I used the ghd ceramic vented radial brush in size 4 and the ghd helios professional hair dryer once again to achieve the volume that I desired.
- We decided we wanted a wet look a few minutes before hitting the red carpet so I laid her edges with the Matrix Overachiever Paste 3-in-1 Cream + Paste + Wax and finished with the Matrix Vavoom Extra Full Freezing Spray and back again with the Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Porosity Spray to add wetness, definition, and structure to this masterpiece! All in all, a solid vision, superb products, and great tools for a fantastic camera-ready statement!

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.