Kim Kardashian says she ‘fought against’ controversial Met Gala outfit: ‘Why would I want to cover my face?’

Kim Kardashian has revealed that she initially had doubts about the all-black Balenciaga outfit that she wore to the 2021 Met Gala, as she didn’t want to cover her face.

For last year’s prestigious event, which centered around the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” the Skims mogul, 41, arrived on the red carpet in a black bodysuit paired with a black T-shirt dress, matching black gloves and a face-covering mask designed by Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia.

The controversial look, which saw Kardashian entirely covered except for her long ponytail, was widely mocked online as fans compared the former reality star to a Harry Potter dementor and questioned what the outfit had to do with the Met Gala’s theme.

The confusion over Kardashian’s Met Gala choice only increased when it was revealed that she had had a full face of makeup professionally applied under her black mask, and that she had trouble seeing through the outfit.

While Kardashian has previously defended the outfit, and taken part in poking fun at the memorable look, she told Vogue during an interview for the magazine’s March cover that she initially “fought against” wearing the ensemble.

“I fought against it. I was like, I don’t know how I could wear the mask. Why would I want to cover my face?” the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star recalled. “But Demna and the team were like, This is a costume gala. This is not a Vanity Fair party where everyone looks beautiful.

“There’s a theme and you have to wear the mask. That is the look.”

While reflecting on Kardashian’s outfit, Demna told the outlet that the mask covering her face was “conceptually speaking, quite important” because “people would know instantly it was Kim because of her silhouette”.

“They wouldn’t even need to see her face, you know? And I think that’s the whole power of her celebrity, that people wouldn’t need to see her face to know it’s her,” the designer added.

As for what her future holds as a fashion icon, Kardashian acknowledged that she is facing uncharted territory now that she is divorcing her estranged husband Kanye West, who she noted always “knew exactly what the next fashion era would be for me”.

“I always think: ‘What will be next?’” she said. “Because I always had Kanye, who knew exactly what the next fashion era would be for me. And there’s something scary about being out there on your own, but also something so liberating.”