Ke$ha cleaned up!
The often grungy pop star looked polished and pretty at the 2012 MTV VMAs, her pink hair swept to the side ala Veronica Lake. Early Ke$ha tweeted and even more stripped down look ... and dare we say she looked beautiful?
She was dressed in the night's hottest color: Black. While we're not in love with the dress' length or her heavy accessories, this is such a step up in the right direction for her. Ke$ha wasn't the only one who dressed up for the red carpet. Rihanna showed off a newly cropped coif and kept things simple in a gathered white gown.
Check out even more arrival shots below, including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus.
But by far the biggest improvement over last year was Deena Cortese from "Jersey Shore," who looked svelte and sexy. Last year, she made everyone's worst dressed list in her garish getup. Who do you think is the best dressed star of the evening? Tell toofab in the comments below.