Cardi B rocks red carpet in Dilara Findikoglu dress

She was marching to the beat of her own “Bongos.”

Drumming up red carpet fashion buzz comes as second nature to chic freak Cardi B, 30, who wowed Tuesday night’s red carpet crowd at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards in an armor-like Dilara Findikoglu dress, covered in hundreds of hair clips arranged in swirling patterns. 

The bawdy “Bodak Yellow” baller cloaked her body in the silver number, giving her fans a much-appreciated sneak peek at the high-fashion fire the Bronx native would ignite later in the evening when she took the VMAs stage alongside Megan Thee Stallion, 28, for the premiere performance of their collaboration track — a highlight of the Nicki Minaj-led fête at Newark’s Prudential Center. 

In newly released visuals to accompany the song, Cardi famously twerked her tremendous tush in a crimson red braided bikini. The spicy two-piece sparked virtual awe, with thunderstruck fans tweeting, “Y’all peep that Cardi’s bikini is fringed with BRAIDS?,” and “Cardi in this braid bikini???! BUNDLES.”

The rapper also turned heads Sunday, when she was spotted styling in a figure-hugging turquoise gown with eye-catching cutouts for her guest appearance on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live.” She accessorized the spotlight-grabbing number with a pair of chandelier earrings and a silver bracelet.

During the episode, the “Press” performer poked lighthearted fun at her Las Vegas microphone tossing incident — which reportedly left one concertgoer injured — saying her “Real Housewives” tagline would be: “The only thing I throw harder than mics is shade,” should she ever join one of the Bravo-based franchises.