2026 MTV VMAs Menswear Splits Between 2 Standouts and 1 Major Misfire

Q: Why did Troye Sivan’s Erdem look signal a bigger shift in menswear than David Corenswet’s dunhill miss at the 2026 VMAs?

Troye Sivan’s Erdem look signaled a bigger menswear shift because it represented successful experimentation at a moment when the VMA carpet was rewarding men who moved beyond standard tailoring. Sivan did more than wear a strong outfit. He broke from a well-established Prada formula and embraced Erdem’s softer, more decorative language: draped feathers, a collection-linked jacket patch, and a silhouette that blurred masculine and feminine codes. Coverage of the carpet repeatedly framed that move as refreshing and adventurous, even as part of a broader gender-fluid, couture-leaning direction in men’s red-carpet dressing. In that sense, his look pointed to where menswear is going — toward texture, narrative, and risk. David Corenswet’s dunhill suit, by contrast, was not a shift so much as a styling failure within a familiar template. The issue was not that he challenged convention, but that the conventional suit did not work: the grey tone washed him out, the grooming undermined the presentation, and the cropped trousers made the fit look incomplete. It was read as sloppy rather than directional. That distinction matters. Sivan’s look expanded the possibilities of menswear and fit the VMAs’ larger fashion mood of theatricality and rule-breaking. Corenswet’s miss only reinforced how much stronger the night’s best men looked when they had clear intent, sharper styling, and a willingness to push silhouette and texture beyond the ordinary.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 28

Troye Sivan emerged as the roundup’s top menswear winner, with his Erdem look praised as a refreshing break from his usual Prada formula and one of the year’s best.
David Corenswet drew the sharpest criticism in a grey dunhill suit that was faulted for washing him out, looking sloppy and ending with awkwardly short trousers.
Belmont Cameli also scored in Ferragamo, with his double-denim look succeeding through stronger proportions and clearer contrast than similar recent celebrity attempts.
Shaboozey, Miles Caton, Magnus Ferrell and Adam Lambert rounded out the stronger entries, spanning a custom Chrome Hearts leather suit, KidSuper outerwear, Viviano tailoring and a Charles de Vilmorin couture tribute.