It wouldn’t feel like a proper Met Gala without one of Kim Kardashian’s signature red carpet looks. And some subsequent backlash to follow. And although her look last night didn’t face the firestorm of criticism her 2022 Marilyn Monroe cosplay did, Kardashian still managed to ruffle quite a few feathers as she hit the Met steps.
In case you missed it: Kardashian touched down on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet in a custom couture look from John Galliano’s Maison Margiela. Now, the points of contention? Both the businesswoman’s extremely snatched, almost nonexistent waist and the pilled cardigan she layered on top. Social media users were quick to assume that Kardashian was extremely uncomfortable in her jacquard corset, mentioning that her lips appeared to be turning blue. One even joked that she “came directly from NYC Presbyterian after having half of her ribs removed.” Some accused her teensy waist of perpetuating unattainable body standards, with a viral tweet saying that “This extreme look sends all kinds of wrong messaging.”
Others were on board with Kardashian’s extreme red carpet look which she said breathing in was an “art-form.” “I’m sorry but coming to an event with your lips blue, skin pale, barely able to speak because you can’t breathe in your corset is a level of old Hollywood glamour [I] appreciate,” a user on X wrote.
Kardashian and shape-wear have always gone hand in hand—she founded Skims after all—and it seems like she’s willing to go that extra mile for something as high profile as the Met Gala. Now, if she were walking around Calabasas in a Margiela corset of this extremity, that’s an entirely different conversation.
What also offended much of the Internet was the gray shawl Kardashian draped loosely on her shoulders. People called the piece a “kindergarten teacher” sweater and said it looked “raggedy” due to the garment’s fabric that was starting to pill. Now, although Kardashian’s look was custom, similar corset dresses were shown on the Margiela Artisanal runway earlier this year with, yes, little sweater shawls that the models clutched on the runway. Even Hunter Schafer indulged in a similar corset dress and sweater situation on the red carpet. What seemingly hurt Kardashian’s case was the fact that her sweater was not attached to the corset which had her sporadically adjusting the piece as she posed for photos.
In a behind-the-scenes interview, Kardashian explained the inspiration behind her Met look, which may or may not quell some of the Internet’s qualms. “I’m running out, my dress is falling off because it’s just one of those nights,” she told Vogue, adding “And I just grabbed my boyfriend’s sweater to run off to make it to where I have to be. It’s really the real-life me when I go to an event, and I have to make it home by 6am to get to carpool.” Coincidentally, she just touched down in Hamburg, Germany mere hours after the Met Gala.
