Breaking News:Taylor Swift’s Alien-Inspired 2024 VMAs After-Party Corset and Mini Skirt Nod to Her Song “Down Bad”…see more

It was the sartorial incarnation of her lyric: “Did you really beam me up in a cloud of sparkling dust just to do experiments on?”

Following the show—and her historic seven-award sweep—Swift changed, once more, for the coinciding after-party.

The pop star was photographed outside of Electric Lady Studios dressed in a more low-key rendition of her sci-fi mini. She wore a Monse corset, jacket, and pleated skirt all made of the same UFO-printed tapestry.

The leather details, punky jewels, and glam-rock makeup all felt reminiscent of her Reputation era, during which Swift shed her all-American aesthetic for an edgier wardrobe revolving around camouflage, leather, and snake imagery.

The world around us does, too. Take Kamala Harris, who is poised to make history in America’s presidential election.

Her common refrain, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you,” rings in my head as we celebrate three decades of this magazine and I think of the pioneers who led this brand before me.

I pass the mic to them to share their favorite MC memories and lessons learned during their time as editor in chief.