Heaven truly knows that Taylor Momsen is a veritable fashion icon. After all, the former Gossip Girl star left everyone in awe with her stunning all-black ensemble during a rare appearance at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on September 7 at the UBS Arena in New York. For this momentous occasion, Taylor arrived looking like a vision in a black bralette, paired with a leather maxi skirt that boasted a tantalizing slit along the side, and chunky leather platform boots that added an extra dose of edginess.
She elevated her outfit with accessories that made a statement—two overlapping studded belts cinched at her waist, a stack of silver bracelets adorning her wrist, and layered silver necklaces that gleamed against her skin. The 32-year-old completed her VMAs look with a sultry black smoky eye, a soft nude lip color, and her blonde locks cascading effortlessly down her shoulders. (Catch a glimpse of all the stars arriving here.)
While the Pretty Reckless singer has recently been turning heads with her incredibly defined abs, her signature grungy, dark outfits have always been a mainstay in her wardrobe. "I just love music and fashion, so that's what I surround myself with," she confessed to CR Fashion Book in 2022. "If I ever do notice someone that seems influenced by me, it's humbling for sure, but I still just get dressed."
Taylor emphasized that this is a common experience among musicians, noting, "Fashion is a big part of the visual expression of their music." After all, she added, "There's the album art, the live show production, and the fashion." For the singer, her life in the spotlight has been instrumental in shaping her personal aesthetic. "I like fashion," she told Interview in 2010. "I like dark colors. I like makeup. Being in the public eye forces you to figure out how to put it all together."
Part of that evolution came from developing her Gossip Girl character, Jenny Humphrey's, turbulent storyline. "The show definitely tries to incorporate elements of reality—the actor's image, for example—and inject it into the character they play—it makes it more relatable," she reflected. "So for me, I just began dressing more like myself, and doing my makeup myself, and so Jenny's style followed suit."
