Flavorwire

Oh, M.I.A. Purveyor of beats and vague political rants. Eater of truffle fries that you apparently didn’t order. Wearer of neon-printed leggings. And an artist whose sartorial choices — already fairly unorthodox — have been flying off the hinge lately in a big way. Take the burqa she wore Saturday to Spike TV’s Scream Awards — not only was it the sort of clouded statement piece we’re used to (and tired of) seeing from her, it came complete with the lyrics of “XXXO” printed on it. Tacky much? We can get down with the animal prints and the gold jewelry and even the weirdo captain hats, but sometimes M.I.A.’s wardrobe looks like she assembled it at random from the wreckage of a particularly garish costume shop. We deconstruct some of her greatest fashion offenses of all time after the jump.

We bet the aesthetic M.I.A. was going for wasn’t “exploding de Stijl painting” mixed with “third grade roller skating party,” but that sure is what she accomplished. The oversize cowl-neck sweater just makes her look like she raided her grandfather’s closet, slapped on a pair of rainbow leggings (we imagine she has a whole closet full of ‘em), and thought she was good to go.