Creative director and stylist Brett Alan Nelson gives ET the scoop on the most memorable fashion moments from the musician.
Doja Cat didn't hold back in delivering iconic fashion moments at the 2021 MTV VMAs. The 25-year-old musician hosted the music awards show and her multiple outfit changes had everyone talking.
The "Say So" singer's creative director and stylist, Brett Alan Nelson, spoke with ET's Marisa Runyon on Monday, giving us all the details on collaborating with Doja on her head-turning looks. The star wore six outfits in total last night. Each costume was a topic of conversation, but two looks in particular stole the show -- the "worm" Thom Browne dress and claw shoes by AVAVAV.
Doja hilariously quipped, "I look like a worm. That's dope," as she accepted the award for Best Collaboration with SZA on "Kiss Me More."
Nelson shared the shapely, statement-making dress almost didn't make it onstage.
"Well, it's funny 'cause [Doja] at first was like, 'I'm obsessed with this. I want to wear it.' And then the day before the show, she got a little nervous and she was like, 'I don't know if it's right,'" Nelson told ET. "And then we got to show day and I was like, 'We have to do this look.' And she's like, 'I know, it's perfect.' And this is another one of those looks like the chair hat. Like Thom Browne is another designer that can do such beautiful art as clothing."
Speaking of the chair hat, Doja rocked the Vivienne Westwood accessory from the spring/summer 2019 collection. Doja also wore an archival corset look on the red carpet and a gorgeous bustier strapless gown for the opening look from the British label.
"I remembered that collection and I remember there being a chair on a hat and I didn't honestly know what it was. I don't know if it was, you know, some chairs she pulled out of her front yard and cut a hole into it, or if it was something made into a hat, but I visually remembered it and I was like, this is the time for it," Nelson said.
GET THE LOOK:
Back to the claw shoes. Doja closed the show in possibly the wackiest and coolest fashion item of the night. The one-of-a-kind, oversized claw shoe designed by AVAVAV was the centerpiece. She styled the unique footwear with a boxy pale pink jacket and a tall Mad Hatter-style topper.
"She's young and she's fun and she is funny and she can be very sexy. But for me, going to the VMAs and looking sexy is safe," the stylist explained. "I'm in no place in my career to be playing it safe. I want to have fun. That's the whole reason why I wanted to do this job as a career."
"We were walking up the stage and we walked by Megan Fox, [who] obviously looked knock-out in Mugler. She looked so sexy and beautiful, but then you have Doja like wobbling next to her in these chicken feet going to stage. It was a nice little juxtaposition of the VMAs," Nelson added.
GET THE LOOK:
Doja and Nelson delivered the unexpected again with her gravity-defying performance of "Been Like This" and "You Right." The musician rocked a red matching set of a strappy, cut-out top and flowy wide-leg pants as she was suspended 40 feet in the air surrounded by an orbiting light.
"I knew I wanted to do something in the world of concert, dance and contemporary lyrical movement," Nelson said. "I really was pushing for her to do this on "Been Like This" because it's such a beautiful track and it's not one of her, like, highest-charting songs, but it's so pretty. And we haven't really been able to see Doja do a performance like this."
GET THE LOOK:
Ahead, see more VMA fashion moments you don't want to miss!
RELATED CONTENT:
