So yesterday I watched that Miley Cyrus VMA performance clip trending everywhere, right? Crazy sparkly outfit just stealing the spotlight. Figured, why not try making something inspired? Not aiming for exact copycat stuff, just chasing that vibe.
The Starting Point & Material Hunt
Scrolled through screenshots first, really zooming in. Noticed it was basically nude mesh covered in thousands of tiny silver discs. Shiny, skin-like, heavy on the sparkle. Headed downtown with my cheap canvas tote, ready to dig.
Found this flesh-tone stretch mesh at the discount fabric bin – felt flimsy but looked the part. Then the real treasure hunt: finding those discs. Hit up three craft stores! Scored a giant bag of flimsy plastic sequins that looked silver-ish under the store lights. Grabbed strong thread and a thinner needle too. Total cost: under $15. Nice.
The Painfully Slow Assembly
Cleared my cramped kitchen table, shoved the microwave aside. Laid the mesh flat. Started hand-sewing each damn sequin one by one. Took forever. My fingers cramped up bad after the first hour. Dropped like fifty on the floor, crawled around finding them. Got super sloppy by the end – some clustered tight, others spaced weird. Looked messy up close but okay from across the room.
- First hour: Focused, neat rows.
- Second hour: Sore fingers, threading got tangled twice.
- Third hour: Just shoving sequins on anywhere. Speed over precision!
Ran out of sequins near the hem. Couldn’t be bothered to buy more. “Artistic asymmetry,” I told myself. Yeah, right.
Test Run & Tweak Disaster
Slipped it on over a tank top. Looked okay standing still. Then I moved. Big mistake. Flimsy mesh sagged instantly. The neckline drooped like crazy. Sequin lines bunched awkwardly on my hips. Felt like wearing a sticky net.
Panicked. Tried taking it in with safety pins. Stabbed my thumb. Blood on the mesh. Awesome. Dabbed it frantically with cold water. Left a faint pink stain. “Character mark,” I decided. Added a thick ribbon belt from an old dress to hold the sagging mess up. Desperate times.
The Big Reveal (At Home)
Texted my roommate Sarah: “Emergency fashion show in the living room in 5.” Put on some pop music. Paced out dramatically. Did a ridiculous hip thrust. Struck Miley’s “I own this” pose.
Sarah just stared. Silence. Then she burst out laughing. “Oh my god, it looks like disco roadkill! Is that… blood!?” We both cracked up. Later posted a blurry selfie wearing it on my stories, caption: “DIY VMAs ✨ Budget: $15. Patience: Gone. Regrets: Zero.”
Fan Reaction Chaos (Mine Included)
Checked my messages this morning. My inbox flooded. Mostly friends howling laughing emojis. One comment said: “Killed it!!! 😭🙌✨” Another: “Looks sticky. Why is it pink??” Someone else slid into my DMs: “Please make a tutorial 😂😂😂”.
Would I wear it outside? Probably not. But did we all scream-laugh over coffee? Absolutely. Saw Miley own the stage in designer stuff. Me? I owned my chaotic mess on a stained rug. Different vibes, same spirit. Sometimes just doing the ridiculous thing is the whole damn point.
