GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
GloRilla in black peep-toe pumps and frilled socks at the MTV Video Music Awards 2025 held at UBS Arena on Sunday in New York.
Christopher Polk
The black heels came in satin with an open toe and blocky platform base. Slim ankle straps crossed the foot, layered with gold chains that doubled as anklets. The choice of white ribbed crew socks, scrunched into a ruffled cuff, tilted the silhouette toward prep styling, giving the red carpet look a deliberate school-uniform twist.
A closer look at GloRilla’s peep-toe platforms with ankle strap chain details and frilled socks at the 2025 VMAs.
The combination also places her within a wider celebrity embrace of the socks-and-heels trend this season. In July, Ciara brought the look to morning television in Christian Louboutin’s Condora pumps, styling them with crisp white socks for a sharper contrast. Just this weekend, Lori Harvey leaned into Miu Miu’s collegiate streak in metallic hosiery paired with the brand’s runway pumps at the Miutine fragrance launch in New York. Earlier this summer, Simone Ashley was seen in black patent leather pointed-toe pumps and opaque black knee-high socks while filming “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
For GloRilla, who is nominated for Best Hip-Hop alongside Sexyy Redd for “Whatchu Kno About Me,” the decision to punctuate her tartan set with peep-toe platforms and scrunched socks placed her squarely within this ongoing conversation. The footwear balanced playful nostalgia with an edge, while chain-detailed straps kept the effect aligned with her tougher aesthetic.
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards take place live at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, hosted by LL Cool J. This year’s show features performances from Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Doja Cat, Katseye and other artists, celebrating music’s biggest names and electrifying cultural moments worldwide.