Swimsuit

Tate McRae, Megan Thee Stallion Recreate Some of Britney Spears’s Most Iconic, Bold VMA Looks

The musicians pulled from the ‘Toxic’ singer’s daring 2001 event wardrobe.

Ananya Panchal

Tate McRae and Megan Thee Stallion
Tate McRae and Megan Thee Stallion / Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images and Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

In a major fashion moment that had everyone doing double takes, Megan Thee Stallion and Tate McRae brought a dash of nostalgia to last night’s MTV Video Music Awards. Both women recreated two distinct and unforgettable outfits from Britney Spears’s 2001 VMAs wardrobe.

The “Greedy” singer and “Hot Girl Summer” rapper honored the industry legend and bold, daring Y2K fashion with their respective looks.

Megan, who posed for the cover of the 2021 SI Swimsuit Issue, dazzled in a green mesh wrap-around bra top and sparkly hot pants, fully channeling Spears’s I’m a Slave 4 U performance from the 2001 event. But the real showstopper was the yellow python draped across her shoulders. The Texas native, who hosted last night’s ceremony in New York, kept it fierce with a blunt bob, knee-high boots, shimmery butterfly decals on her collarbones and gorgeous eccentric glam.

The 29-year-old had tons of outfit changes throughout Wednesday evening, and it was one of the aspects of hosting she was most looking forward to.

“I’m excited to change clothes 500 times. I’m excited to perform. I’m excited to see all the Hotties,” the three-time Grammy Award-winner shared. “I love New York, I can’t wait to be there again and eat all the food, and I’m excited for people to see what I bring to the table while hosting.” Megan performed snippets of several of her hits, including “BOA,” “B.A.S,” “Hiss” and “Mamushi.”

Britney Spears
Britney Spears / Kevin Kane/Getty Images

McRae, on the other hand, donned a black mockneck long sleeve lace micro dress from Roberto Cavalli paired with sultry black lingerie underneath, almost an exact replica of the dress Spears arrived in to the event 23 years ago. It was the perfect combination of vintage moodiness with McRae’s signature sassy style. She even rocked a slightly looser, more modern version of Spears’s signature voluminous curls and smoky dark glam.

The 21-year-old has previously been compared to the 42-year-old because of her similar electric stage presence and love for fun and flirty dance moves.

“It’s obviously an honor [to be compared]" McRae said. “I mean, Britney’s the queen. People are going to compare newer artists to things that have happened in the past, so obviously it’s very cool to hear comments like that.”

Tate McRae and Britney Spears
Tate McRae and Britney Spears / Taylor Hill/Getty Images and Dave Hogan/Getty Images
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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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