Once again, the MTV Video Music Awards was all about the performances. Rihanna opened the show and performed three subsequent times during the broadcast (hey, she’s this year’s Video Vanguard Award recipient). At the end of her quartet, Drake stepped out to present the singer with her award. Beyoncé brought Lemonade to life up on stage in a refreshing medley of tracks. Kanye West didn’t rap live, but he showcased a new explicit video for “Fade” prefaced by a rambling speech that called out Taylor Swift and Anna Wintour (to name a few). Kim Kardashian introduced Britney Spears’ performance, which was a vast improvement from the Las Vegas headliner’s 2007 travesty. Outside of the performances, in a truly surreal moment, Jimmy Fallon dressed as Ryan Lochte as he presented Video of the Year to Beyoncé for “Formation.”
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When it came to fashion, it was no surprise that skin was still in. See-through pieces ruled the white carpet and black was definitely trending. There were a number of attendees who brightened up the ceremony with vibrant pops of color, outfitted in everything from cobalt blue to fiery red and even a rainbow pattern. A group of drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars gave a style shout-out to VMA looks of the past, including Lil’ Kim’s purple number and pastie, Lady Gaga’s meat dress and Britney Spears’ python stage outfit. But it was Rihanna and Beyoncé who really slayed on the fashion front (both on stage and off). For all the top style moments from this year’s show, just click through the slideshow above.