What VMAs Fashion Looked Like in 1992, the Year Miley Cyrus Was Born
Leeann DugganSenior Editor
Updated
Cindy Crawford and Dennis Leary at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Cindy Crawford, still famous, was in 1992 a supermodel just beginning to diversify her career as host of MTV's House of Style. She is also the only person besides Liz Hurley who ever looked good in those bondagey Versace dresses.
Dennis Leary, also still surprisingly famous, was a comic who you could tell was edgy because of his black suit-with-T-shirt and cigarette. He made his name ranting in "get off my lawn" fashion on MTV about how Music These Days made no sense, before solidifying his curmudgeonly creed with the novelty song "I'm An Asshole," which I'm pretty sure Beavis and Butthead gave a thumb-up to once.
Getty ImagesDennis Leary, also still surprisingly famous, was a comic who you could tell was edgy because of his black suit-with-T-shirt and cigarette. He made his name ranting in "get off my lawn" fashion on MTV about how Music These Days made no sense, before solidifying his curmudgeonly creed with the novelty song "I'm An Asshole," which I'm pretty sure Beavis and Butthead gave a thumb-up to once.
Halle Berry and Jean-Claude van Damme at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Why are these two together? Were they an item? Did they present an award together? How does Boomerang-era Halle Berry look exactly like Halle Berry today? Does she have a portrait that ages in her place? Will chain belts and bras with business suits ever make a comeback? Should Jean Claude van Damme's double-denim dad jean outfit be considered a crime against humanity, or do we forgive him because he gave us the gift of Bloodsport?
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Janet Jackson performs at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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After the faux-militarism of Rhythm Nation, before the sexy earthbabe rebrand of 1993, Janet briefly experimented with a sort of grungy B-girl look, which was meant to look streetwise, despite prominently featuring Mickey Mouse. The Jackson family: unclear on the concept of tough since 1987.
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Kriss Kross at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Show business being the heartless bitch-goddess that it is, Kriss Kross were considered washed up by 1993. But let's remember them, instead, in 1992, when they were on top of the world, full of hope, touring with Michael Jackson, and even had the money for the hired muscleman seen here. The world abandoned Kriss Kross, and that was very wiggedy wack of us.
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Shannen Doherty wears a black skirt suit at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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In 1992, Beverly Hills, 90210 was the biggest show in the world, and Shannen Doherty was the most-feared woman in Hollywood. Her rumored on-set tantrums and supposed refusal to wash her hair in anything other than Evian were already legend (and were surely not exaggerated at all). But then she began insisting on doing her own makeup, giving herself a ghostly pallor that, with her fishnets-and-power-suit look here gave her a business-bitch air that was alluring, yet terrifying.
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Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Nope, this is not Howard Stern, who did in fact make an appearance at that year's VMAs as the flatulent superhero Fartman. This is Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, who recorded covers of Otis Redding songs the world never needed, yet became massive hits. This is also the end game of the boho revival: A grown man wearing a bath mat, Pharrell's hat, and pot leaf flares. Think of this the next time Vogue tells you the '70s are back.
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Paula Abdul in a black V-neck gown at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Straight up now tell me Paula do you really wanna wear mall hair forever?
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Nirvana's Kurt Cobain wears a Daniel Johnston T-shirt while performing at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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The MTV suits wanted Nirvana to perform their megahit "Smells Like Teen Spirit," but contrarian Kurt started with the intro to the decidedly less radio-friendly "Rape Me" before launching into "Lithium," then Krist Novoselic tried to do something cool with his bass and hit himself in the face. It was still the coolest thing that happened at the VMAs that year, and Kurt wearing a T-shirt for the obscure, troubled musician Daniel Johnston would lead to thousands of disaffected teens discovering his cracked, perfect pop songs.
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Wilson Phillips at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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The motorcycle-riding jungle-cat look was a real thing in the '90s, and it came to claim entire families of angel-voiced Beach Boy offspring.
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Rosie O'Donnell at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Look at Rosie getting ready to Rock The Vote (TM) with her Clinton-Gore hat and red power blazer. Sadly, relatively few VMA attendees showed their support for tiny, rich Texan Ross "giant sucking sound" Perot, or George "the marginally less evil one" Bush Senior.
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Mark Wahlberg wears a Michigan Wolverines sweatshirt at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Before he was a respected actor in such films as Ted and Ted 2, Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg was an underwear model-turned-hip-hop-lite musician. Here, he proves that while his "Good Vibrations" may have been a massive hit, he still had his "looking into the distance" chops from his male modeling days.
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Tori Spelling wears a white mini dress at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Donna Martin was possibly West Beverly High's most boring student. Unlike Kelly, who'd had a nose job and whose mom had a coke problem, or Brenda, who was brunette and whose relash with Dylan was a nonstop font of juicy drama, Donna dated the terminally lame David Silver, and was a virgin. She did have a great wardrobe, though. At the VMAs, Spelling kept it very Donna-ish in a Blonde Ambition Tour-lite mini dress, an updo with de rigeur tendrils, and a rockin' pair of glove shoes.
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R&B group Boyz II Men wearing Varsity jackets and khakis at the VMAs, September 9, 1992.
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Boyz II Men were an R&B band that made one hot song, then recorded nothing but lugubrious ballads for the rest of their career. They also enjoyed dressing like middle-aged Earth Science teachers, khakis and woven leather belts and all. They were pretty good, but we liked Jodeci better.
Getty ImagesThis Sunday, Miley Cyrus takes over the MTV Video Music Awards in what will surely be an orgy of tongue-wagging, Tumblr-tastic graphics, and maybe, just maybe, the return of dolphinboobs. So thorough is Cyrus' domination of the last few years' VMAs that it's hard to imagine there was a time when she wasn't even a glimmer in her dad's achy, breaky heart. But there was — and in tribute to this weekend's show, we're taking a look back at what VMA fashion was like the year Miley Cyrus was born, Anno Domini 1992.
Come with us on a journey to a time when supermodels wore Versace bondage couture, R&B singers wore pleated khakis, and 90210 stars looked absolutely terrifying. May history be kinder to the looks we'll see Sunday night.
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