Fashion & Beauty

Kim Kardashian has finally become stylish

I have a confession — I had never been a fan of Kim Kardashian, but I am now, and I have fashion to thank for it. Before you spit out your coffee and throw shade in the comment box, let me say that I could probably list a million reasons why Kim Kardashian’s celebrity is a sign of the apocalypse.

My biggest problem with Kim has always been that she’s boring: Almost every conversation about her circles back to her looks — and what she’s wearing.

But recently, Kim has been stepping out looking, well, nice — wearing the type of outfits that would be deemed chic on any other woman. Gone are the icky tracksuits, colorful bandage dresses, and slinky Joyce Leslie-esque fare that made her look like a sausage in lipstick. She traded them for simple cropped tops, jeans and tees, and a garrison of Max Mara coats — all body conscious, sure, but evocative of a certain fashion savoir-faire. Her look is sexed-up Céline, and Kim now maintains a primarily neutral palette of expensive, innocuous basics; she’s even mastered monochrome.

All of this has transpired over the past six months, since around Paris Fashion Week last September, when Kim came out of hiding after giving birth to baby North West. If it comes off as some sort of audition, it’s because it probably was — last month, after weeks of speculation and rumored pleas from Kanye West, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour put Kim Kardashian on the April cover of the most venerated fashion magazine of all time. And the Internet. Went. Nuts.

The much-discussed tweet from Sarah Michelle Gellar, a ’90’s style darling and one-time go-to for a good glossy cover, seemed to drive the point home: People are terribly uncomfortable with the idea of Kim Kardashian in relation to fashion.

The industry loves its ivory tower, where skinny starlets like Kate Bosworth and Alexa Chung can retain permanent residence for doing little more than what Kim does. Other than for uses of irony and tokenism, fashion typically doesn’t like women who aren’t sample-sized, and it doesn’t like things as common or relatable as reality TV, let alone individuals who made a name on the heels of a sex tape. (A woman who has sex?? Shriek!)

However, the times they are a-changin’. Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci — a demigod to the style set — has been unwavering in his genuine support of Kim. He dressed her for last year’s Met Gala (after, in a photo roundup of the event’s best attire, Vogue.com conspicuously sliced Kim out of a photo with Kanye, leaving her floral-gloved hand dangling). Provocateur Carine Roitfeld put Kim on the cover of her arty fashion publication CR Fashion Book back in October, months before Wintour did it, and was quick to compare her to another pot-stirring icon.

“She’s controversial but so was Marilyn Monroe, and I always like controversial people,” she told Time Out London.

In a release issued after the uproar, Wintour confirmed that West did not beg, and she defended her choice of putting a Kardashian on the cover, saying, “Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue . . . is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it.”

I completely agree. Shame Kim for being useless, insipid and déclassé, but the fact is that she matters to people. She matters so much that no one can stop talking about her, and while some will continue to use her as a punching bag and wait tirelessly for her comeuppance, the wiser will accept that Kim is here to stay, to live with us in the public consciousness for as long as we’ll have her — and at least she’s doing it stylishly.

Kim’s not a size 0 or configured to meet any white-bread standard of beauty, unlike sister Kendall, who’s tall, pale and slender, and thus qualified to walk for Chanel. So yes, when I see Kim in a fashionable ensemble, I silently cheer. Good for you, girl, you’re learning, and this world that’s been built around judging your looks can finally say something nice for a change. You’re pulling yourself together, making every effort to look and feel your personal best, and ultimately, that’s all fashion’s really worth, anyway.

 

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Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Black on black on black is the fashion girl mantra. Splash News (2)
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Here, another successful exercise in monochromatic layering. The key is slightly subtle variation in the creamy hues. Kim clearly knows this.INF
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Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Fashion-forward jumpsuit with a peek-a-boo bra? Yes, please.Getty Images
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Kim finds a great balance in this Celia Kritharioti dress: Lots of cleavage, but served with a simple, classic silhouette. Getty Images (2)
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Nothing can class up a skintight skirt like a long-sleeved turtleneck in an innocent shade of pink. Broadimage
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Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Hey, transparency is in. The long sleeves, modest hemline and olive tone of this Rachel Roy dress make it easily digestible.Startraks Photo (2)
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Perhaps Kim’s best look to date. The subdued colors and textural interplay are perfect. Besides, teddy bear coat! Broadimage
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Kim has amassed one of the best coat collections in recent celeb memory. This one in sweet cream, matchy-matchy with the rest of her ensemble, is a standout.
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Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Paris is for lovers . . . of immaculate coats. Here’s another. Splash News (2)
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Looks like the uniform of any downtown denizen—biker jacket, jeans, tee, pumps, done. Splash News
Kim Kardashian gets stylish
Illustrating her favorite shape of late (cropped top with a tight long skirt), Kim knows nothing beats black and white. Pacific Coast News
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