Kim Kardashian always has to make a show-stopping entrance wherever she goes, and she achieved that at the 2023 Met Gala by covering herself in 50,000 pearls!
The 42-year-old billionaire went all in with help from Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry, paying homage to the Chanel pearls that Karl Lagerfeld often used in his designs.
Kim Kardashian covered herself in 50,000 pearls for her 2023 Met Gala appearance in New York City on May 1, 2023 (Credit: Doug Peters / PA Images / INSTARimages)
Design Inspiration and Collaboration
“I wanted pearls,” Kim Kardashian told Vogue on the red carpet. “I thought, what is more Karl? The iconic Chanel pearls is what I always thought of, so we wanted to just be dripping in pearls.”
Using freshwater pearls, Kim Kardashian wore a molded corset top and long draped skirt. According to Vogue, both pieces were also adorned with 16,000 crystals and took 12 artisans over 1,000 hours of work to finish.
The custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture look was inspired by the Fall 2022 line and featured a nude bodysuit and a dramatic floor-sweeping white stole.
Kim Kardashian wore a custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture look complete with a dramatic white stole (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
The Final Ensemble
Ever the maximalist, the SKIMS founder also wore a choker, drop earrings, and a ring – all made of diamonds, pearls, and crystals.
For her beauty look, she chose bronze hues and a dramatic updo to show off the gems. The Time100 Summit speaker finished her ensemble with white slingback heels for a stylish boost to her petite frame.
Kim Kardashian swept her hair up in a dramatic updo to effectively show off her diamonds, pearls, and crystals (Credit: Doug Peters / PA Images / INSTARimages)
Challenges on the Red Carpet
But while the pearl-covered ensemble looked stunning, a video posted by People magazine from the red carpet showed how difficult it was for Kim Kardashian to make her way up the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
She almost suffered a wardrobe malfunction as a few strings of pearls came undone!
Kim told Vogue on the red carpet, “Some popped on the way, and I told my daughter to grab them all. They’re real pearls, and she was putting them in her purse.”
Kim Kardashian’s white slingback heels provided the finishing touches to her pearl-covered look (Credit: Doug Peters / PA Images / INSTARimages)
A Star-Studded Event
The theme for this year’s Met Gala was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, in honor of the late designer.
It was a star-studded affair attended by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Olivia Wilde, event co-chair Dua Lipa, power couple Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Vogue China editor Margaret Zhang, Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bundchen, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Jenner, and models Cara Delevingne, Gigi Hadid, and Chanel muse Anok Yai.