VMAs Red Carpet: Black Magic Beyonce, Katy is Britney

Beyonce showed up at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing a black Nicolas Jebran dress featuring beads, sequins and lace and industrial-sized earrings.

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez wore a shiny disco ball dress by Charbel Zoe.

Singer Katy Perry recreated a Britney Spears fashion moment from years ago, wearing a denim ballgown, on the arm of rapper Riff Raff wearing a denim suit. In 2001, Britney and Justin Timberlake showed up at the American Music Awards in top-to-toe denim.

Gwen Stefani twisted up her famous platinum hair with a pink and black outfit.

Country star gone pop Taylor Swift swapped her classic style for an edgy bodysuit by Mary Katrantzou.

Miley Cyrus, who's double act with singer Robin Thicke left the world at large reeling at the VMAs last year, wore a fierce leather outfit that bared her toned midriff.

Kim Kardashian looked somewhat disheveled and very much exposed in a bewildering woven dress with almost no front.

Rita Ora stopped traffic in a dress as red as the carpet she was on, with a slit that only the seriously body-confident could carry off.

Actress Chloe Grace Moretz will have fashion pundits cheering her Louis Vuitton pants and top outfit.

Rapper Iggy Azalea wore silver Versace but failed to shine.

Supermodel Chanel Iman wore anything but basic black.

Nicki Minaj, who opened the show with singers Ariana Grande and Jessie J, was almost unrecognizable in animal print and sleek hair.

Supermodel Jourdan Dunn wore an outfit made for a supermodel body - a black cropped top and skirt by Balmain.

Beyonce's little sister Solange Knowles, minus her trademark afro, wore a tuxedo-like suit from H&M.

Ariana Grande's leather Moschino minidress created a fashion stir at the VMAs.

Jessie J, once inseparable from skin-tight jumpsuitilike ensembles, wore a draped goddess gown.

Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland wore a blue cutout Kaufmanfranco dress.

Kesha set off her white floor-length gown with rainbow coloured hair.