Celebrities rocked designers to do-it-yourself at award show
By Rod Stafford Hagwood Staff Writer Posted August 29 2005
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It'll take more than a hurricane and a nightclub shooting to put a damper on the mega-scene that is the MTV Video Music Awards.
Since the artistic merit of the ceremony is questionable, we are left with what is central to MTV: appearances.
And what appearances there were.
Paris Hilton pretended to talk on her ubiquitous cell phone in order to avoid such probing and personal questions as, "Who are you wearing?"
Carmen Electra announced that whenever she thinks of Miami, towering female impersonator Elaine Lancaster comes to mind ... which is great for Lancaster and a little spooky for Electra.
Nelly Furtado looked miffed when asked where she got her dress, before sheepishly admitting she bought it long ago at Barney's Co-op.
Actress Lisa Ray said she threw her flawless look together in minutes before the show. "I am not a designer whore," she said matter-of-factly, before quickly adding she did have professional hair and makeup done.
Here's a breakdown of the rockin' frocks.
Rap
Hip-hop homies were dapper dans, with many wearing white suits on the white carpet. Diddy, Kanye West, The Game and the Ying Yang twins all sported blanc, b-boy style. Even Miami mayor Manny Diaz showed up resplendent in a cream-colored suit. "Diddy said show up in white, so I did. I'm looking to win the award from him tonight." Diddy said he would give an award for best-dressed at the arrivals. Actor/writer Nick Cannon popped up in preppy Ted Baker. "I just want to be clean, cool and comfortable," he said. "I stopped wearing diamonds because I don't want any drama. We've had enough drama this weekend." David Banner wore a custom-made Elevée suit. "You know I won best-dressed at the B.E.T. Awards, right? When you're from the South, you have to dress up. I'm trying to change people's opinion about the rappers from the South." On the other hand, the hip-hop honies pulled out all the stops with sequined chiffon dresses and gowns: Olivia (from G-Unit) in form-fitting Giorgio Armani, Ciara in a super-short black vintage dress, and Fergie (from the Black-Eyed Peas) in a citron cha-cha dress. Local diva Trina wore a ga-ga gown by Mexican designer Mitzi, while she put her man Lil' Wayne in shirt, jacket and jeans by Ed Hardy -- the new Hollywood hipster.
Rock
What's the most important thing to remember at the VMAs if you're a petulant young rocker? Black eyeliner. Think Goth, not gay. The boys from Fall Out Boy were comfortable enough to wear it with panache (lead singer Patrick Stump said he was wearing a jacket he charmed off a waiter in New York). Also some members of The Bravery wore a smoky eye with their punk-meets-prep stovepipe pants and pinstripe skinny jackets. "I didn't get to the dry cleaners," said Sam Endicott, motioning to a smudge on his shirt. You can bet the boys from My Chemical Romance didn't make that fashion faux pas. The band was bespoke in serious black rocker chic reminiscent of the mod '60s. No accident this. These boys had a plan and it showed. So did Brandon Flowers of the Killers. He lost pants, shirt and shoes over the weekend and had to do a little shopping in Miami to go with his Yves Saint Laurent pants and Louis Vuitton jacket. But he didn't have as many sartorial challenges as Bam Margera, the x-treme skater boi. Bam showed up with a laptop keyboard attached to his pelvic area by black electrician tape. "I was still asleep at 5 p.m. and this guy [gesturing to a handler] wakes me up and said, `I want you to tape this to your taint and come on out.'"
Ritzy
For a silly little award show, some celebs pulled out all the stops on the white carpet (Diddy's idea). Famous faces such as Paris Hilton, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani (in her own label L.A.M.B.), Ashley Simpson (in Giambattista Valli), Alicia Keys (Giorgio Armani), Amerie (Monique Lhuillier), Kirsten Dunst (Chloe) and Jessica Simpson (Rachel Roy) did designers big favors by cheerily shouting out their dressmaker's moniker to anyone -- and we mean anyone -- who asked. (Jessica Simpson made a little goof when she said her dress was by Robert Roy.) While citron yellow was the color of the night, any hot hue was haute -- especially in dizzying prints such as paisley (Amerie) and tie-dye (Paris Hilton). Only Alicia Keys played it safe with an ochre Giorgio Armani. "I've had a bad summer actually," she said without illuminating. "I just wanted something breezy and easy."
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