Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Let’s face it: awards ceremony fashion is generally a bit dull. And while the men and women parading the red carpet at prestigious events like the Oscars may scrub up exceptionally well, what they’re wearing is often too classic, safe and – dare we say it – basic to ever really make waves.
Thank goodness, then, for the MTV European Music Awards, where wacky outfits are de rigueur with presenters and attendees alike, and where you’re never more than a few inches from a dress decked out with a carousel or Miley Cyrus in a frong. Here are 20 of the most outrageous MTV EMA ensembles from recent years.
Image: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for MTV
20. Nicki Minaj
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Nicki Minaj hosting the 2014 MTV EMAs. And fair play to her: when her luggage was lost at Glasgow Airport, she managed to improvise magnificently with her hotel suite’s drapes.
Image: Sven Hoogerhuis/AFP/Getty Images
19. Miley Cyrus
Wild child Miley prompted a whole lot of pearl-clutching when she lit up a joint on stage at the 2013 MTV EMAs in Amsterdam. What’s definitely more shocking, though, is the fact that she actually covered up for the occasion.