For the 2023 Met Gala, A-listers were encouraged to dress “in honour of Karl” Lagerfeld. Naturally, certain themes immediately emerged on the red carpet. Namely, there were loads of black and white colourways, bows and pearls. Kim Kardashian went all-in on the latter. The star decked herself in 50,000 freshwater pearls, courtesy of Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry.
Read more: Met Gala 2024 Red Carpet
Paying homage to the gem that Lagerfeld often used in his work, Kardashian wore a full pearl ensemble including a moulded corset top and draped skirt, both of which were also adorned with 16,000 crystals. (Her choker, pearl drop earrings, and ring were also made of pearls and crystals.) The look took a dozen artisans over 1,000 hours of work to complete; each strand of pearls were strung and draped to her body.
Over the years, Kardashian’s Met Gala looks have been some of the most-discussed red carpet fashion moments. Famously, she wore Marilyn Monroe’s Jean-Louis dress to last year’s Met Gala – the same one that the Old Hollywood icon wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to president John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday, back in 1962. In 2021, she also hit the red carpet in a black, face-covering spandex look by Balenciaga designer Demna, which instantly went viral. In 2013, her floral Givenchy maternity gown also made Internet waves.
