On the white carpet, which in itself hinted that the VMAs is not your average awards ceremony, the difference between musicians/performers and actors/presenters could be seen. Sure, stars like Rosario Dawson, Sofia Vergara and Selena Gomez look great in their outfits, but this isn’t about them, the normal celebrities. The Video Music Awards is one of the only outlets to see truly outrageous fashion, both wonderful and scary.

Ke$ha prowled down the white carpet in a skimpy garbage dress she claimed to have created herself. Along with the extra long, messy braid she had on, Ke$ha definitely lived up to the “trashy” look she was going for.

Katy Perry also donned a skimpy outfit, though in a different way. With a simple black and white color palette, a nude bejeweled bodice and tiered white skirt, she looked like she was wearing an ice skater’s costume.

But some good old fashioned elegance came to the white carpet courtesy of Florence Welch, a nominee/performer. In a sleek gold brocade Givenchy gown complete with a front zipper, the dress seemed to complement her skin tone perfectly and stood out amongst the crowd of wilder fashions.

And of course with this awards show, the men make the list too. Wil.I.am’s black ensemble was truly out of this world. Looking almost like an alien, he donned a sleek black leather jacket along with black makeup on his face and topped it off with a pink head attachment and a pink armband.

But of course, the expectations were the highest for the queen of high couture dress, proving that everyone is still gaga for Lady Gaga. (VMA’s host Chelsea Handler even opened the show with an elaborate Gagaesque gown complete with a house headpiece and a dove that flew out of her underskirt).  Gaga started out the evening in what appeared to be a Native American inspired Alexander McQueen gown, one from his last collection before his death. Gaga hobbled down the white carpet, her big and bold red, deep green and gold dress with a gold feathered Mohawk and amazingly tall hoof hells dominating everything in her way. It seemed that in each dress she accepted a new award, each one wilder than the first.

For her acceptance of the award, she made it clear that Lady Gaga always chooses style over comfort. She apologized of how slow she was in her extra heavy black gown complete with pointed cones on her bodice and a spiked black Mohawk headpiece and even called herself “Fashion road kill.” But it was Gaga’s final outfit that she wore to accept the big award of the night, “The Video of the Year” for “Bad Romance” that was the definition of fashion road kill.

Gaga accepted the award from Cher, who herself was dressing circa 1989 in her infamous “If I Can Turn Back Time” getup. But Gaga took the focus; she was wearing a skimpy meat dress. Complete with dangling tendrils, chunky meat heals and a little meat cap to cap her whole look, Lady Gaga was the big winner with “Bad Romance” as well as wild fashion.