Kim Kardashian did not bring Kanye West to the Met Gala. I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief for that. Kim arrived late on the carpet, so we had already seen a lot of pope looks and Joan of Arc looks and so this Versace gown just seemed… subdued. It’s a new Atelier Versace gown, but it’s based off a Gianni Versace-designed gown from the 1990s. If you look closely, you can see the crosses in the fabric. I mean… Kim looks fine. She didn’t embarrass herself. She also wasn’t looking to be the center of attention. Blah, it’s fine.
I was happy that Donatella Versace was one of the co-chairs for this year’s Met Gala, because Versace can do some very religious, very Catholic-inspired looks. But I ended up sort of disappointed by many of the Versace looks, including the one Donatella wore. I don’t get it?
SZA also wore Versace. This was one of my favorites from the Versace looks! Apparently, this was based on “Weeping Madonna” art. The headpiece and gold tears are by Chris Habana. She killed it!
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
Pope looks and crucifixes. All this religious imagery coupled with the vulgar displays of wealth is giving me the creeps.
umm the catholic church in general must really creep you out then
Absolutely.
Yep The Catholic Church and Hollywood are becoming exactly alike. Millions of dollars which they lavishly display while telling the peasants how to think and how to vote. Who would have thought
Becoming?
Sums up religion as a whole rather well really
Shows you know just the showy religions or you are talking religion vs faith.
I did my whole house in catholic iconography, it was kind of on accident, just had a lot of candle holder, dark wooden furniture, silks and velvet. The catholic church is kind of unashamedly opulent.
They had millenia and billions of taxpayers to acquire a lot of wealth. They didn’t give away anything. And they have eternity to keep it. Because if you have a claim against the catholic church they will simply wait till you die out – they as an institution don’t die out.
Ir’s common for religions all over the world to decorate and build their places of worship with the finest things available to them, and this includes sacred vestments. The Catholic Church is very old and has just continued these traditions, which includes precious metals and fine art used for articles used in worship.
Protestantism largely went for a very simple external approach (except for liturgical branches), but that is a relative anomaly among religions. Has never prevented individual Protestant pastors from being corrupt as all get out, so there really isn’t a correlation between simplicity/ornateness in places of worship vs individual corruption of religious figures. People are people, and some people are just greedy hypocrites no matter what their religious affiliation or lack thereof.
When the Catholic Church was a state religion (beginning with Constantine) and tightly intertwined with political power and the nobility in typical state religion fashion, individuals just operated according to the norms for their class. A rich bishop or cardinal (or pope) was going to just act like any rich person of the day. It was simply a professional option, especially for sons who were not firstborn and who would not be inheriting the property. Contrast with the attitudes and practice of the current Pope. Times have changed.
But throughout Catholic history, there have always been priests, monks, and nuns who lived simply and worked to help everyone, especially including people who are poor. They just have never attracted the same attention as those who didn’t. They don’t stand out and they tend to be relatively invisible except in their own communities. A common way for non-rich and even poor people to get education for many centuries was to study for the priesthood. I even knew boys and girls in my childhood who hoped to go or went to a Catholic seminary (to become priests or nuns) as their only way to get an excellent private school education. (There were high school programs for both girls and boys then, don’t know if they still do that.) These were not the children of the rich or upper middle class. The girls I knew who were in such a program in high school (I went to a Catholic school that had facilities for residents) were from the boonies and their parents and communities lacked the resources for good education. They were called aspirants, they got a free education and free room and board and had extra religious education and practices besides the normal school curriculum. Like the boys at the local high school seminary, they were not obligated to actually join the religious order as adults but were seriously considering it.
You see the same phenomenon especially today – incidents such as terrorism are news because they are not that common. But if your only knowledge of Muslims was from the reports on Muslim terrorists, you would assume they were all terrorists. But actually they are just a tiny itty bitty portion of the worldwide Muslim population. Same with certain crimes. People’s fears are fed by the news media reports, forgetting that the crime rate in their own community may be practically non-existent compared to a densely populated city. So we have the same fears despite our much, much lower risk.
Another example is the widespread assumption that priests are common child molesters. There is nothing about celibacy or Catholicism that turns a man into a pedophilic predator. But the numbers seem high simply because there are so many Catholics in the world and in the US and so the Catholic Church is a much larger target than many others for our attention. Married Protestant pastors have the same history of abuse, and the most dangerous place for a child is actually in their own home -a certain percentage of fathers, stepfathers, and mother’s boyfriends are child molesters and rapists. Any adult pedophile and rapist who has access to children in privacy is a huge risk, and they do seek out jobs that give them that access and they do take advantage of opportunities that arise. But we tend to see these as more isolated incidents rather than endemic simply because there isn’t usually a single large convenient target like the Catholic Church to focus on. The sins of a Baptist pastor aren’t automatically tightly associated with the sins of a Methodist pastor. And we don’t assume that every man is molesting children in his house. Coverups of such crimes within institutions and families was the common approach until relatively recently. In churches of all denominations, at best a priest or pastor might be reassigned or watched if it became too obvious to ignore as rumor. Never underestimate the ability of humans to simply disbelieve anything bad about people who act normally with them. Families are infamous for not knowing what’s going on under the same roof. A friend was shocked to learn that his father had been molesting both his sisters, and each girl was told that if she didn’t cooperate – he would start in on the other girl. Nobody knew except the girls and their father until they were full grown. Each girl thought she was protecting her sister, and did not know that dear old dad was already molesting the other one.
Rescue Cat: ever heard of the Opus Dei? I bet they were in part the inspiration for the theme…although the met gala looks classy and subdued next to what they do in real life.
That was the point since the Church (in all its Christian varieties) has always been about the wealth.
The early 90’s had a bejeweled-crucifix phase, too. This reminds me of a throwback to that, given all the 90’s influence in fashion lately.
Throwback to what people perceive as the good old times.
If one looks at fashion (haute couture and pret-a-porter of the last 10 years) and how much neutrals like beige and white they used it becomes clear that there is a major change of direction in the near future.
She looks good. Nothing negative to say. Perhaps her best year?
Agreed. Her tiny waist! So much better than the floral print dress.
You mean the couch dress with the matching gloves and shoes? That was the worst IMO. Unintentionally funny.
Damnnnn Kim’s body is insane.. she looks great here .
I think this is one of her best looks ever.
Did Pimp Mama Kris choose the crosses?
not even a hint of a squeezed fat:
tied and laced up and corset
Yes. She looks amazing.
I think she’s slaying this look. Reminds me of her “old” style (pre-Kanye). That’s a compliment.
@lannisterforever yeah I get you. I remember she often looked quite good before Kanye.
I remember the first time I saw a picture of her, in this period. I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. I had no idea who she was or what she did.
Yes! She needs to dump Kanye AND his style. She looks gorge.
IA. I loved how she dressed back when she wore color – maybe because she seemed to dress to fit and accentuate her figure.
I agree. I think this may be the best I’ve seen Kim look. But her face. A little nipping done prior to the event or just a super tight pony?
Hi Morning Coffee,
I definitely think she’s had a recent niptuck, since when did she have those slanted strange almost vertical eyes of a Melania Trump?
That happens when you fill up the area below the eye and around the check bones with filler, it narrows your eyes to ridiculous levels.
A shame, because Kim is known for a big beautiful eye. It also looks like she downsized her butt or it has a better shape. I wonder if she took out that weird ginormous square booty she had.
Extra Botox for the night?
I kept thinking insect. She looks like an insect. The dress is tacky – looks like she tried to have a little bit of a theme but not too much, and to me, that’s a fail. Go on theme or wear a gorgeous dress., and she’s stuck in the middle. Decent fit for once. I also think she went with larger implants.
I think Kim looks like a boring blow up doll- I’m sorry I don’t see the “amazing”, just the Blah.
Me too.
Agree +100000000
something about kim’s face and hair is giving me monica bellucci vibes
Yes! With a touch of JLo.
thx oliphant I am happy to see I am not the only one thinking that Kim had strong Monica-Belluci-at-Cannes-2003 vibes.
Yeah she looks great here!!!
Her face is morphing into Monica Bellucci’s 😨
I expected Kim or Kylie to wear some trampy version of a Catholic school girl uniform so this was actually a surprisingly modest look for her lol
Kim looks good. There, I said it. Donatella and SZA, whoever that is, are too much. In the ridiculous way, not the glamorous Met way.
SZA is a Grammy nominated singer… her songs are on the radio nonstop. I think she nailed it, one of my favorite looks of the night.
Double post
I like Kim’s look a lot. She’s beautiful and looks her old self before Kanye.
Kim looks pretty. She almost looks like she doesn’t want to be there but I suppose if she didn’t she wouldn’t have gone, lol.
SZA is not someone I’m familiar with but she really looks amazing.
Her nose is disappearing.
No, not ok. What has Kim done to her face? The dress looked like some something we’ve have seen a million times…minus the crosses.
This years Met Gala, seemed like a hot mess and/ it fell flat!!!
I agree. Putting crosses on a too tight dress is not in theme. Her face really looks different.
Yeah
Boring and expected
What would shock would be if KK didn’t show most of her breasts
THAT would be shocking!
Yeah it’s boring AF just like her sisters.
+3
Her face. It’s new.
Kim as always interprets the theme in the least creative, most boring way, but this at least suits and flatters her, it goes very well with this recent update of her face.
She looks beautiful and all that, but…. I keep getting distracted by the lower border of her corset. It creates a line in the dress across her lower stomach. I get wanting to spanx it up and cinch it in, but was there not like a bodystocking option…?
I actually like Kim’s dress, its a good look on her. The others, nah.
I think the dress was way too tight on her, and could she show more of her boobs? GMAB!
Agreed, I think it looks trashy. But when doesn’t she?
I’m not into SZA’s dress, not for this theme, but she had the best headpiece of the night, and she looked so beautiful.
Kim looks good. It’s boring but a huge step up from her usual Kanye curated outfits.
Agree on all points. That headpiece is great.
Kim looks good, aside from all the face tweaking.
I wonder what Kim chatted about with the other guests?
No kidding, especially if selfies weren’t allowed! She did look very pretty.
SZA is one of my top looks for the night! So ethereal.
Kim looks the same as always, the only difference is she slapped a few crosses on her usual bodycon- style dress.
What is different about Kim’s face? I can’t figure it out.
Her disappearing nose.
Her face looks completely different but I have to admit I think she looks great here.
I’m uncomfortable with any religious theme, even though I’m not religious myself. I don’t think this would fly with other religions so not sure why it’s an acceptable theme. Not normally a pearl clutcher but there’s something about it that’s just off to me.
I agree, would they do an islam theme?
@Lenn, funny you brought up Islam actually! I don’t want to info dump on anyone here, but to answer your question, it would really depend on a lot of different factors, but yes, it could be done.
For instance, a lot of my friends who are Shi’a were really into the Met Gala yesterday and were putting together mood boards of what they would wear if there was such a theme.
Not to mention there are a lot of Islamic artistic movements from various parts of the world (Ottoman, Persian, Mughal, Malaysian, Moorish, etc. ) that I think people would be able to draw their inspiration from, much like how Catholicism often served as inspiration for Renaissance art.
There are also lots of Middle Eastern designers who I think borrow elements from Islamic art and architecture in their designs who would do a good job dressing people. It might be interesting after all to shine a spotlight on them.
So really, I think it depends on the way the theme is executed as opposed to the theme itself. I think that Catholicism was an inspired theme because of how much art and architecture and pure emotion it inspires in people, even if they aren’t adherents. There are ways to approach a religion like Islam and honour the art its inspired and how that influences fashion around the world without being disrespectful. It would just have to be done with sensitivity and a certain level of focus.
@A
I’m Shia and I was thinking of my ‘what if I would have been invited to this event’ outfit and the only thing I could come up with that goes with the theme and doesn’t disrespect Catholicism or Islam is a dress with Mary and Jesus with their faces covered. Many Islamic paintings show prophets with a beam of light in place of actual faces. But even then I was like omg I hope nobody thinks I am disrespecting their religious beliefs.
@Asiyah, that’s really interesting! I was just looking at a couple of those mood boards, and a lot of them stayed away from overt iconography of figures (obviously since it’s Islam). I think there is a lot of diversity in how Islam has influenced fashion, which stands in contrast to a lot of assumptions on the part of people.
Given that my friends are Shi’a, there was a lot of black and shades of green. They’re from a lot of different backgrounds around the world, so there was a lot of localized influence as well. A lot of South Asian inspired designs. Some folks had taken influences from miniature paintings of historical figures (as opposed to religious figures), lots of interesting patterns. Ofc it’s not a direct analogue to Catholicism, obviously because Catholicism is heavy on the iconography of religious figures whereas Islam is not. But it’s fascinating to me to see how both religions conceptualize beauty through their art, even though it’s in vastly different ways.
@Lenn Nice bit of whataboutism there. You are comparing apples and oranges when you consider how Catholicism is viewed v. how Islam is viewed in modern America. I’m not going to give you a history/sociology lesson, because google, but think about what you are saying.
IMO you’ve basically done the same thing as those idiots who cry about not having ‘white history month’ or ‘international mens day’.
Yes, Catholicism is mocked and looked down upon in some circles, but it is by no means derided or hated the way Islam is, in modern American. There is just no comparison, and it’s a shame that you would try to draw one.
The theme is corresponding to the exhibit at the Met, which has many pieces the Vatican loaned specifically for the event. Catholic imagery has been used in fashion for centuries. That said, some of the looks do border on the offensive, while others do not.
I too am uncomfortable with any religious theme. @Lenn brought up a good question “would they do an Islam theme?” Maybe, if they found tasteful ways to do it, but I wouldn’t like it. I just don’t think religion is a theme for a costume ball.
I think it’s perfectly fine. Religious people should have the same rights as everyone else and be protected from discrimination, but they absolutely don’t deserve to have their beliefs treated as superior by everyone else. Catholics and Christians- hell, religious groups in general- have way too much power and privilege for something like this to be considered punching down. There’s also the important fact that a lot of the people at this event were exposed to some form of these religions growing up in a Judeo-Christian Nation- as the religious right loves to tell us- which takes the issue of cultural appropriation off the table. Catholics and Christians are not a marginalized group here, especially in Trump’s America.
So you’re saying you haven’t heard of Trump’s Catholic Ban? 😉
I’m a Catholic and I had no problem with the theme. People were taking inspiration from religious art and icons, and the dress and robes of priests, bishops, cardinals and The Pope as well as nuns. No one was dressed as Jesus on the cross or anything like that. It was paying tribute, not mocking. No one was a sexy nun or priest. Even Rhianna looked fine. I’m sure very conservative, staunch Catholics had issues. As someone who grew up in a very Catholic south Philly neighborhood I can tell you that they have issues with everything.
Catholic imagery is often opulent and beautiful.
Right. Baroque artists from the 17th and 18th century engaged in “cultural appropriation” based on some of some of the posts where people are claiming taking inspiration from religion is offensive.
In fact, Baroque music, art, and architecture was very opulent, ornate, and dramatic with lots of gold, marble, and bronze. This style was actually very much encouraged by the Catholic Church as a way to counter Protestant starkness, purity, and simplicity. If the point is that it was ok back then but not so much now then I take issue with that.
“No one was a sexy nun or priest.”
I was surprised not to have seen anything like this.
I think that saying people should stay away from religious themes is ignorant of the ways in which religion often serves to inspire fashion. In my experience, creativity exists and flourishes even in places where people often least expect it. Catholicism has been a force and inspiration behind creative movements for centuries by this point, as has every other religion in the world. Even the ones we least expect.
I think people are entitled to their qualms on a personal level. Obviously the relationship you have with your religion is yours alone. But that might not be the same as how others relate to theirs. And I think others should be able to explore what that relationship is, and how they are inspired by it, through the art they create.
Soon we will only be able to recognise KKW by her name.
Kim looks pretty, but something has changed. Maybe it’s her eyes? She always wears heavy eye makeup and too long fake lashes like this, but her eyes look different here.
I agree.
Something about her face is different, I just can’t put my finger on it yet.
Maybe it’s her expression. She looks happier and more relaxed without Yeezy there.
SZA’s was another favorite of the night. It was “heavenly.”
Seconded.
If you look closely at the bodice of her dress you can see the beading done in the pattern of an arched Gothic church window. That’s a subtle and restrained detail I certainly did not expect of Versace, but what a delight.
SZA looks amazing. What a queen.
What a gorgeous woman SZA is. That headpiece is stunning. She looks ethereal.
Do you pronounce her name by the initials or is it Se-za? I am so confused!
The headpiece with the pink dress is amazing-it and the dress work well together. For her, Donatella’s outfit was subdued😀- did love the boots.
Her breasts are really stunning. The dress is good. She looks better then usual. Yes, I also wonder what the other guests talked to her about. I am surprised Kanye didn’t show up. Maybe he wasn’t invited?
I think he was too chicken to show up. He usually doesn’t miss an occasion like this.
Kim’s dress is a missed opportunity. She looks lovely but it’s boring. They could have done an interesting cape, or a lovely headdress because she has enough hair to make it beautiful but the styling here was just blah.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…she looks good. The dress fits her like a glove. It’s on theme without being ridiculous. Her smoky eye looks great. Is it somewhat boring? Sure. But Kim K isn’t who I would turn to for dramatic glamour. I’m amazed she managed this well, honestly.
ITA. She should go down this route more often fashionwise.
SZA is so pretty I want to cry. Kim is an epitome of basic.
I thought SZA looked like an Angel…
I thought Kim’s makeup and hair was perfect…her dress was too tight and we’ve seen that on her a million times before…her body looks wonderful though…I just wish whoever fit her dresses on her, would pay more attention to not having her so tight at the top…
This is very telling isn’t it? First Kim could never get an invite to the Met Gala. Then she married Kanye and was invited with him…now she’s going without him…some foreshadowing here. Reminds me of Paris Hilton and Kim. Kim went everywhere with Paris as Paris was the bigger star, then slowly Kim got more recognition…didn’t need Paris anymore…and the rest is history.
Kim looks great…but like a completely different person with a new face and a fake body. She needs to take some time away from the spotlight (and her surgeon).
What has Kim done to her face? She looks different.
I can hardly believe that I’m saying this, but Kim is my favorite look.
I think her body looks stunning, her hair is amazing and the make up is great.
The dress is nothing spectacular, but it fits her like a glove.
I’m not going to mention how much plastic surgery Kim had over the years, it would take way too long.
Yikes, that harsh blond on Donatella Versace is truly awful.
It’s such an ugly blond color to begin with, but with her ravaged looking face and the racoon eyes at her age, oh just terrible.
Kim looks BOMB here.
Kim looks fantastic. She looks like she was poured into that dress. The styling is simple perfection. Her hair and eyes and stunning. She looks a hundred thousand times better without her slimeball husband. I smell a divorce (hopefully).
Agreed. Others may clutch their pearls about the boobs, but this is a good look for her. It doesn’t scream Met Gala that much though. She went for something understated. Initially I saw all the Met Gala looks on tablet and in those pictures it seemed to have more of a liquid armor look to it.
I kind of love Kim’s look. Not totally on theme but I love the makeup. She looks like Cheryl Cole.
Could have done without the tops of her areolas. Especially considering just how much they’d have had to custom-fit that dress to that non-human body.
SZA has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve heard in the past few years, and I loved her whole look!!
Kim looks stunning. Really. Don’t love the super long hair. Her body looks dipped in gold. Love it.
She looks good but it bothers me when she gets compliments for her body. She’s had so much fat removed from her waist and put into her hips and butt. Like her proportions aren’t real. Most women with natural hourglass figures aren’t that exaggerated. We say that black video vixens with similar body alterations are gross but she looks good? Does she get praise because she has white skin? It bothers me that we give all this body positive praise yet exalt someone who has changed nearly everything about her body (while shitting on the Amber can’t remember her name and Blac Chynas and Nicki Minajs who’ve literally done the sand thing she has).
Kim and her sisters aren’t always complimented on their bodies. She looks excellent here, but usually comments are made everywhere about how bad the Kardashians and Jenners butt implants, lip fillers, and all the other plastic surgery they’ve had made them look.
What a beautiful new dress and new face Kim has on!
Kim has never looked better. Was it the best look of the night? Naw. Was it the best look ever for Kim? Hell yes.
All of these gowns are fugly. And Kim kept it WAY safe: almost as if she wanted to be understated so NOT to draw too much attention…like, purposefully given her family’s personal dramas are not something she wants brought up as an aside to discussions about her dress….or maybe it’s exactly the opposite. She understated it so that she WOULD get more attention and therefore more tangential conversations about her family.
No one else is commenting about how much smaller Kim’s butt looks here, from the side 😳 Has she had enough time away from the cameras lately to have butt-reduction surgery?
Actually the strange case of Kim’s butt disappearance started a while ago, right after the infamous “robbery”, but don’t say it too loud. She took it slow and is now ready for the next dummy to bag, just when Kanye is going down in flames. Like clockwork. Can we say now that the “robbery” was dirty rebranding a la Kardashian or people still want to believe that tale?
Yes! That’s it! I was staring at her face for ages trying to figure out who she reminds me of (looks almost exactly like).
Kim’s dress is pretty boring.
She looks beautiful here, but it took a lot of help to get that look.
i love her make up.
it’s so weird, her face looks new but also her make up looks like her old school make up so it’s kinda her old face too
i can’t decide
I cannot manage to find KK pretty at this point…she doesn’t even look like she’s organic anymore. It’s like looking at a shelaqued mannequin.
I actually think Kim looks gorgeous. It’s kind of annoying that this year’s theme gets dragged if it’s too literal and gets dragged if it’s too oblique. You could say that she looks like the Holy Grail. She could be going for a multitude of references here but the thing I’m getting is that some people chose to interpret this part of the theme, “heavenly bodies by emphasizing their body. I believe that they named this year’s theme with that play on words on purpose. Assuming some people would run more in that direction than in the religious Direction.
SZA for the win………..on point and delicious. But I’m biased. But I ain’t wrong.
Am I the only one who prefers Kim’s look to Sza?
Kim reminded me of a throwback to Gianni, to 1990’s body glamazon. A little tongue in cheek in the era of Madonna’s Like a Virgin.
Sza, pretty yes because it’s Sza, but too much like what a five year old wants to wear to her party. The only thing that makes it on theme is the headpiece.
I do think Versace did really well – Chadwick, Stella, Zendaya, Kim, Blake, Migos, Cindy Gigi, Irina and more… They really individualized, from the super on point theme (Zendaya, Katy Perry) to more low key (Cindy Crawford, Kim Kardashian West). It’s a diverse group of entertainers and outfits, I like it!
I agree with the poster who stated that she’s looking very plastic/robotic like lately. The dress is barely on theme. It’s mostly about Kim–LOOK AT ME & MY BODY!! I really can’t stand narcissistic people…they’re the ruin of our society. And, Kim is the patron saint of all narcissists: Saint ONLY-ME!