Taylor Swift experienced a very expensive fashion emergency at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday, September 12.
In videos shared via Twitter, Swift, 33, could be seen with a stressed look on her face after noticing that the diamond on her 18-karat yellow gold ring from Van Cleef & Arpels had gone missing. In one clip, the hitmaker held up the ring and pointed at the center before looking down at the ground. Bystanders as well as members of the production crew quickly gathered around Swift, seemingly searching for the gem on the floor. At one point in the video, a woman used a flashlight to aid in search efforts, prompting Swift to bend down and scour the area. It is not immediately clear if Swift recovered the stone.
Swift was loaned the accessory by Joseph Saidian & Sons — who is offering the piece for $12,000, per the jewelry retailer’s Instagram. The company also lent pieces to Bebe Rexha and Saweetie for the ceremony.
Swift paired the rock – as well as layered gold necklaces — with a black asymmetrical dress by Versace. The gown had Us convinced that Reputation may be the next album she’s rerecording due to the dark moody vibe of the look — an aesthetic closely associated with the 2017 project. Swift’s gown also reminded Us of the memorable safety pin dress by the fashion house that Elizabeth Hurley wore when she accompanied Hugh Grant to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994.
Despite the ring mishap, the VMAs proved to be a historic night for Swift when she accepted the highly coveted Video of the Year honor, which marked her fourth Moonperson of the night. (She also took home trophies for Best Pop, Song of the Year and Best Direction earlier in the night.)
“OK, this is unbelievable,” Swift said while accepting the Video of the Year trophy. “The fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me based on the memories we’ve made together recently.”
Swift, who won for “Anti-Hero,” gave her loyal fans a shout-out for turning out in droves for her Eras Tour the past few months. “It really felt like the adventure of a lifetime,” she said of the sold-out concerts.
Ahead of Tuesday’s live event, many fans believed that Swift would steal the show — and the coveted award — after previously breaking records at the 2022 event.
Swift was the first artist to win Video of the Year three times after she received the 2022 title for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” off her album Red (Taylor’s Version).
“Before this, I had directed and written my music videos, but I had never directed a short film before. … We put our entire hearts into this trying to make something that might be worthy of the love that you, the fans have shown this song,” Swift said in August 2022 while accepting the award for Breakthrough Long Form Video for the same song.
She proceeded to gush over her fans when she took the stage for the 2022 Video of the Year honor. “You guys, I’m just so proud of what we made, and I know with every second of this moment that we wouldn’t have been able to make this short film if it weren’t for you, the fans,” an overwhelmed Swift said. “Because I wouldn’t be able to rerecord my albums if it weren’t for you.”
