Ariana Grande made her highly anticipated return to the red carpet at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards following a five-year hiatus.
The singer, 32, attended the star-studded event with her stylist Law Roach on Sunday, September 7, wearing a polka dot Fendi dress for the special occasion held at the UBS Arena in New York.
Grande’s custom ensemble featured a pink-and-black peplum design at the waist, giving a pop of color to her outfit. She wore her hair in a sleek parted ponytail and added a black bow, also rocking her signature glam with winged eyeliner, a nude lip and almond shaped nails.
To put the final touches on her look — which was “inspired by a dress worn by Silvia Venturini in the 1980s” according to a press release — she wore a pair of Swarovski stud earrings.
Grande’s style nod to Swarovski came after she was named the global brand ambassador by the brand in July 2024. She notably starred in their spring 2025 collection campaign in April.
Fans were elated to see her at the event, especially because it’s a big night for the chart-topping performer. Grande is nominated for Best Pop Artist, Video of the Year, Best Pop, Best Longform Video, Best Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.
She was also on hand to present the Video Vanguard Award to Mariah Carey. During that part of the evening, Grande changed into a black dress designed by Tamara Ralph with a fitted bodice and unique shoulder design.
The Wicked actress has worked with Roach for quite some time, kicking off their style era in 2016 — long before she made her VMAs comeback.
“I always say if you put Ariana behind a screen and you just see her silhouette, as soon as the back light comes up, you know it’s her,” Roach told Vogue about her fashion prowess in 2019.
“She came to me with the ponytail and thigh high boots, with that DNA — I didn’t change a thing,” the stylist added. “Our collaboration is [her way of saying] this is my look, this is who I am and I want to be the best, most elevated Ariana.”