Fashion

Justin Bieber's First VMAs Outfit Was Adorable

by Rosie Narasaki

Between his three current hits "What Do Ü Mean," "Sorry," and "Love Yourself," a certain Canadian pop star has been busy. Still, though, do you remember the pint-sized singer that first came onto the scene back in 2009? It's almost amazing how adorable Justin Bieber was at his first VMAs — incidentally, it serves as a pretty stark contrast with the strangely-coiffed appearance he made at last year's VMAs (actually, strike that, his 2009 VMAs look also included a strange coif).

What with his constant appearances in the tabloids, sometimes it's tough to recall that Bieber was actually pretty adorable back in the day. Sure, his adorability factor mainly attracted the pre-teen set, but there was a certain baby chipmunk-iness to his whole look that gave him universal appeal (that and his trademark sweet singing voice and catchy lyrics, that is).

Back at the 2009 VMAs, Bieber was pretty much the epitome of a fresh face. Only 15, and recently plucked out of Canadian obscurity by Scooter Braun and Usher, you'd never imagine that this sweet little face would grow up to become the Beiber we know today.

And we can't forget the hair swoop. Oh, the swoop! It's a testament to Bieber's crooning and gossip blog headlining skills that any of us can look at him and forget even for a second that he used to wear his hair like that.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

For his first VMAs, Bieber kept things casual-yet-polished in a red T-shirt, a gunmetal Members Only-esque jacket, and dark wash jeans — accessorized with dog tag and cross necklaces, an oversized black watch, and burgundy Adidas statement sneakers.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Hair aside, the look actually stands the test of time pretty well — though it's cool that Bieber's gotten a little more adventurous since then. I mean, check out what he wore at the 2015 VMAs:

Jason Merritt/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

What a fashion evolution — and it makes you curious what kind of style drama he'll bring this year. Guess we'll have to stay tuned!