I’m gonna be honest: this year’s VMA carpet was a little dull. There was a lot of black, a lot of dark neutrals, and a lot of outfits that were technically nice but didn’t really give me anything to remember. I miss when celebrities seemed more willing to have fun with fashion. Award shows used to give us looks people talked about for years. Now, sometimes it feels like everybody is just trying to look expensive, polished and safe.

And I’m tired of safe.

Fashion is supposed to be fun. Give me drama. Give me color. Give me something weird. Give me something I might hate at first and then think about for the next three days.

Out of everything, these four actually caught my attention.

Olandria Carthen

This was easily our favorite look of the night.

The brown leather, the red accents, the lacing, everything works with her body instead of just sitting on top of it. I especially love the way the lacing creates these lines that pull your eye down the dress and exaggerate her shape. It almost feels like the dress is being constructed directly onto her.

And the red was necessary. Without it, I think all that brown could have gotten heavy very quickly, but those little hits of color break everything up. It’s sexy, it’s interesting, and most importantly, it doesn’t look like something I’ve already seen 20 times.

Madisin Rian

I love the idea of this look more than I love the final result.  The cowhide? Love. The exaggerated shape? Love. The whole Western-fashion fantasy? Absolutely.

But the longer you look at it, the more you start picking at things. I’m not crazy about the gloves, and I think I would’ve liked them more if they were dramatically longer. I’m also not completely sold on the hat. And that necklace, while cool by itself, starts making the top half feel a little busy to me.

I almost wish the outfit committed harder to one silhouette. Either give me a full gown, make it a really short mini, or turn the whole concept into some kind of cowhide pantsuit. The concept is an A+. The execution just doesn’t come together as perfectly as I want it to.

Sombr

This was our favorite menswear look of the night. I will always appreciate a man who refuses to show up in the same boring suit-and-tie situation we see on every carpet.

The giant fur coat with the bare chest underneath is such a good proportion. Then you get the leather pants, the chains, the jewelry, the studded belt—which I LOVE—and suddenly he looks like an actual rock star.

I especially like the cut of the pants. They’re slim enough to balance that massive coat without looking skinny, and the leather against the fur gives the whole thing texture.

I’m not gonna lie, I don’t really know Sombr’s music like that. But I know he looked good. And sometimes that’s enough.

Terrell Carter

I really like this too.

The leather-on-leather works, the jacket fits him beautifully, and I love the open chest. The whole thing feels masculine and sexy without him having to put on a traditional suit.

My one issue is the pants. I wish they were longer. That cropped length feels a little awkward to me, especially with the furry shoes. I think if the pants came down farther, the whole silhouette would feel more intentional and elongated.

Still, it’s cool. I like it. Is it something I’ll remember five years from now? Probably not. And honestly, that might be my issue with the carpet as a whole. We miss moments.

There was a time when award-show fashion felt like celebrities were actually trying to create an image we would remember. Now everything feels darker, cleaner, safer and more serious. It reminds me of what’s happening everywhere else right now. Restaurants are getting more minimal. Branding is getting more minimal. Interiors are getting more minimal. Fashion is getting more minimal.

Somewhere along the way, it feels like we started taking the whimsy out of everything. So next year, I need the VMAs to act like the VMAs again.

Wear the ridiculous dress. Bring the giant hat. Put rhinestones on the pants. Show up half naked. Wear something ugly on purpose.

Just please…. give us something to talk about.