Great Outfits in Fashion History: Mariah Carey at the 1997 VMAs

We don’t talk enough about Carey’s ’90s looks.

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In ‘Great Outfits in Fashion History,’ Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

When it comes to fashion icons of the 1990s, we don’t talk nearly enough about Mariah Carey, perhaps because she didn’t quite reach her full diva prominence until the 2000s. But her slightly quieter, yet still very sexy ’90s wardrobe was full of gems that many an Insta-girl would absolutely wear today.

Case in point: this matching black set she wore to the 1997 VMAs, which I’m pretty sure you can purchase at Reformation right now. With its barely-there straps, waist-high slit and strappy black sandals, the look is perfectly daring in its simplicity. While she didn’t win anything that year, she easily won best dressed in our eyes. I mean, honestly, has anyone else ever looked this tasteful and sophisticated at the VMAs? On this night, she was surrounded by outfits like this, this and this. A loser? I think not.

Shop a few pieces inspired by this minimalist-sexy look below.