The Met Gala is no stranger to high glamour, controversial outfits and viral memes; but no A-lister seems to hit all three pillars of the event quite as often as Kim Kardashian.
When she attended her first Met Gala in 2013, Kardashian did so as the plus-one of then-partner Kanye West. She surely made an impression in her floral Givenchy gown because the reality star was invited back in her own right the following year. In the decade since, she’s slowly climbed into the realm of Met Gala royalty, joining the likes of Blake Lively, Rihanna and Zendaya as one of the most-anticipated red carpet arrivals of the night.
Whether you love or hate her fashion choices, there’s no denying Kardashian’s looks never fail to get people talking. From the meme-ified “couch dress” to the time she covered herself in a black Balenciaga shirt and morphsuit and, of course, her choice to wear (and allegedly, tear) Marilyn Monroe’s famous “naked dress:” her looks often toe the line between bit and brilliance. Most recently, in 2024 she kept things a touch more demure (by her standards) in a silver, corseted look.
Scroll on to see everything Kim Kardashian has ever worn to the Met Gala.
2013
Then pregnant with her first child, Kardashian made her Met gala debut as a guest of Kanye West in 2013, with the theme being Punk: Chaos to Couture. She wore Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci, a floral number that the designer suggested as the stretchy fabric would work with the baby bump. However, she later recalled “crying the whole way home ” after the internet compared her look to a sofa.
2014
The 2014 Met paid homage to designer Charles James, and Kardashian and West both paid homage in Old Hollywood-inspired looks. The mogul opted for a deep blue Lanvin gown, which was strapless with a thigh-high split.
2015
Kardashian made her mark on the Met in 2015, taking the stairs in a striking naked dress by Roberto Cavalli to fit the theme Chine: Through the Looking Glass.
2016
For the theme Manus x Machina: Fashion In the Age of Technology, Kardashian went futuristic in a silver, custom Balmain look.
2017
After opting for high-impact the two years prior, Kardashian kept things more minimal in 2018 with an off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood Couture dress.
2018
The 2019 theme, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination is oft regarded as one of the Met’s best-ever. Kardashian leant into it in a glittering, gold chainmail Versace dress.
2019
To quote Karlie Kloss, in 2019 Kardashian was looking camp right in the eye.
She turned heads and sparked much online chatter after stepping out in this custom, wet-look Mugler dress, which accentuated her figure to the enth degree. The star admitted that the corset she wore for the look left her with indentations, telling WSJ she had to practice breathing and had “never felt pain like that in my life.”
2021
For the first Met back post-covid., Kardashian kept things casual in Balenciaga. Too casual, in fact, some thought. Her skin-tight, all-black ensemble covered her entire body, including her face, worn under a black T-shirt dress. While she was initially resistant to cover her face, designer Demna Gvasalia managed to convince her.
The look divided the internet. Some thought it a genius take on the theme, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion (what’s more American than a classic tee?), where others thought it lazy. Either way, it was certainly one of the night’s buzziest looks.
2022
Perhaps her most controversial look yet, for the 2022 Met gala Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s Jean-Louis dress, which the star wore to serenade president John F. Kennedy in 1962. While she only wore the real garment for a matter of minutes, descending the stairs in it before changing into a replica, she allegedly damaged the (very fragile) dress during that time.
In addition to being criticised for reportedly ruining a historical artefact, Kardashian faced backlash for openly admitting she lost weight to fit into the gown.
2023
A decade after she first made her debut, Kim Kardashian paid homage to her late friend, designer Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala. Her custom Schiaparelli gown was made entirely of strands of pearls and served as a relatively safe option following the hubbub of the year prior.
2024
For 2024’s Garden of Time gala, Kardashian glittered in a corseted Maison Margiela Couture look comprised of a floral dress and cosy grey cardigan.
Was Kim Kardashian Banned From the Met Gala?
While all five Kar-Jenner sisters, as well as matriarch Kris Jenner, have now attended the ball, it has long been speculated that Wintour had actually banned them from the event. These reports have never been confirmed by neither Wintour of the family.
The rumours seem to rear their head again each year. In 2023, reports emerged that the whole family had been disinvited due to Winter’s “crack down” on attendees. However, this was ultimately proven false and Kim attended alongside sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, as well as her daughter, North.
