If there’s anyone who manages to keep up with the many cycles of fashion, it’s Kim Kardashian. From not-so-humble beginnings as friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, Kardashian has been in the limelight for two decades now, achieving multihyphenate status, with her hand in almost every industry. Apart from dominating the media with her family’s infamous “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” (rebranded as Hulu’s “The Kardashians“), the 42-year-old has made quite the name for herself. She’s appeared on many a magazine cover, modeled across several brand campaigns – including Yeezy, Balmain, Stuart Weitzman, and Balenciaga – and enjoyed success with various business ventures, from SKKN By Kim to her most popular shapewear-turned-clothing company, Skims.
As the billionaire continues to craft her own lane, her attention-grabbing fashion sense stands in a league of its own. The socialite-turned-mogul has flaunted some of the most show-stopping, yet controversial looks. Matching oversize Louis Vuitton bags with Hilton helped to define Kardashian’s early aesthetic, but she really began commanding attention at her first Met Gala in 2013, becoming a meme sensation. Heavily pregnant with her first child, she wore a floral, high-neck long-sleeved gown by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy that featured a thigh-high slit and built-in gloves.
The now-mom-of-four later redeemed herself in the public eye with more fashion-forward looks, thanks to her former stylist and ex-husband Kanye West. He introduced her to high-end brands like Balmain and Givenchy, with Kardashian tapping the latter to create her famous wedding gown for the couple’s Florence nuptials in 2014. Of course, she’s also embraced athleisure, regularly sporting West’s trendsetting Yeezy line and Balenciaga pantaleggings.
Kardashian also developed an affinity for archival fashion long before it became a trend. For the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, she cemented her sex appeal in a sheer black vintage Jean Paul Gaultier minidress, styled with wet-effect hair. And in 2019, she stepped out in a Thierry Mugler gown with cutouts that boasted similar allure. As the queen of bodycon, she wore a Spring/Summer 2003 Alexander McQueen marine-effect gown to the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. She also casually posed in a Fall/Winter 1995 Jean Paul Gaultier bikini illusion dress, perhaps igniting the industry’s renewed obsession with the brand.
Having worked with stylist Danielle Levi for many years, Kardashian continues to produce even more nostalgic style moments. Recently, she delivered an unforgettable 2022 Met Gala appearance wearing Marilyn Monroe’s famous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress designed by Jean Louis, though the request to borrow the look was originally denied by Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.
Ahead, scroll down memory lane as you track Kardashian’s impressive style evolution.
Related: Watch Kim Kardashian Struggle to Walk Up the Stairs in Her Skin-Tight Skirt
Getty / Dimitrios Kambouris
Kim Kardashian Wearing Schiaparelli at the Met Gala
For 2023’s “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” themed Met Gala, Kardashian wore a nude dress with a white corset bodice adorned with pearls by Schiaparelli. She finished the look with a ruffled, crepe train and pieces from the family’s go-to jeweler, Lorraine Schwartz.
Getty / Marc Piasecki
Kim Kardashian Wearing Balenciaga in Paris
Kardashian attended Paris Haute Couture Week with first-born North, donning a slime-green ensemble that featured a fitted camouflage tee, neon pantaleggings, oversize sunglasses, and a rhinestone Le Cagole X shoulder bag from Balenciaga. Meanwhile, North sported her dad’s vintage varsity Pastelle jacket.
Getty / Emma McIntyre
Kim Kardashian Wearing Mugler at "The Kardashians" Premiere
While attending Hulu’s “The Kardashians” premiere in 2022, Kardashian rocked a custom body-hugging, metallic latex gown with a high slit designed by Thierry Mugler himself.
Getty / Doug Peters - PA Images
Kim Kardashian Wearing Balenciaga at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
As a Balenciaga muse, Kardashian wore a bright-blue gown from the brand for the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
Getty / Robert Kamau
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Balenciaga Jumpsuit and Fur Coat
Kardashian stepped out in another head-to-toe Balenciaga ensemble, which included a gray multicolor fur coat and a black jumpsuit while on her way to dinner at Lattanzi Cucina Italiana in New York City in 2021.
Getty / Gotham
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Pink Balenciaga Catsuit
For her first “Saturday Night Live” appearance, Kardashian rocked a Barbiecore-pink Balenciaga pantalegging catsuit with a dramatic feathered coat to match.
Getty / Theo Wargo
Kim Kardashian Wearing Balenciaga at the Met Gala
For the 2021 Met Gala, Kardashian wore a Balenciaga catsuit gown that covered her entire body and helped her stay incognito.
Getty / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
Kim Kardashian in Vintage McQueen at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
For the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Kardashian wore a cream Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2003 dress that featured a corset and ruffles. The marine-inspired gown was the same dress that Angie Barrett wore to the Beaux Arts Ball and Cannes Film Festival in the early aughts.
Getty
Kim Kardashian Wearing Vivienne Westwood at Diddy's Birthday
While celebrating Diddy’s 50th Birthday, Kardashian posed alongside Kanye West in a champagne corseted off-the-shoulder gown by Vivienne Westwood.
Getty / Dimitrios Kambouris
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Leather Dior by Kim Jones Set
Kardashian attended Kim Jones’s Dior Men’s Fall 2020 runway show wearing a head-to-toe snakeskin look that featured a pair of green python-print pants, a white printed coat, yellow boots, and a blue Dior Saddle bag.
Getty / Robert Kamau
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Latex Mugler Dress
The media personality paid homage to singer Cher, wearing a blue latex minidress with a silver and blue beaded wig and knee-high boots for the 2019 Met Gala afterparty.
Getty / Marc Piasecki
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Vintage Cheetah Alaïa Set
While in Paris in 2019, Kardashian sported a vintage leopard jumpsuit and coat combo from Azzedine Alaïa’s Fall/Winter 1990 collection.
Getty / gotpap/Bauer-Griffin
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Cutout Mugler Gown
For the 2019 Hollywood Beauty Awards, the Mugler muse wore another one of the iconic designer’s pieces, a bust-baring black dress with a thigh-high slit, halter neckline, large cutouts at the torso, and wrist cuffs.
Getty / Pascal Le Segretain
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Blue Yeezy Dress
While attending the Louis Vuitton Menswear show in 2018, Kardashian wore a blue cargo Yeezy dress layered over black biker shorts and styled with PVC heels. She finished the look with a pair of dark Alpina shield sunglasses.
Getty / John Shearer
Kim Kardashian Wearing Versace at the Met Gala
Custom-made by Donatella Versace, the multihyphenate wore a gold sequin floor-length dress for 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”-themed Met Gala.
Getty / Jason LaVeris
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Gucci by Tom Ford Suit
At the 2017 LACMA Art and Film Gala, Kardashian traded in her go-to bodycon dresses for a relaxed black suit by Tom Ford for Gucci, opting to wear the blazer jacket open, without anything underneath.
Getty / Karwai Tang
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Sheer Roberto Cavalli Dress
Kardashian stunned in a sheer army-green Roberto Cavalli Couture dress with a waist-cinching leather belt for Vogue’s 100 Gala dinner in London in 2016.
Getty / Bertrand Rindoff Petroff
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Balenciaga Trench and Boots
For Balenciaga’s Spring 2017 runway show, Kardashian sat front row in a neutral trench coat styled off-the-shoulder with a pair of thigh-high black-and-white checked boots.
Getty / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Lace Givenchy Jumpsuit
While attending the 2015 LACMA Art and Film Gala, Kardashian put her baby bump on display in a sheer black lace jumpsuit and robe by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.
Getty / Kevin Mazur
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Yeezy Spandex Outfit
In 2015, Kardashian supported her then-husband’s first Yeezy Fashion Week show wearing a mesh neutral-toned catsuit layered underneath a gray sports bra and camouflage moto jacket. She finished the look with black ankle boots.
Getty / Jason LaVeris
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Red Balmain Two-Piece Set
While attending the 2015 Roc Nation Brunch, the SKKN by Kim founder wore a red silk Balmain crop top and maxi skirt set with gold jewelry.
Getty / Jamie McCarthy
Kim Kardashian in a Floral Givenchy Gown at the Met Gala
For her Met Gala debut, Kardashian brought a plus one (first-born North), wearing a floral Givenchy gown by Riccardo Tisci, complete with a slit and gloves.
Getty / George Pimentel
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Glittery Balmain Dress
While attending Kanye West‘s 2012 “Cruel Summer” premiere in Cannes, the entrepreneur wore a cleavage-baring gold minidress by Balmain, finished with black ankle boots.
Getty / Mark Sullivan
Kim Kardashian Wearing a Sleeveless Top and Jeans
At the 2006 “The Godfather” game launch party, Kardashian wore a striped lace sleeveless top with light-wash jeans and blush knee-high boots. She finished the look with a nude bag and classic hoop earrings.
Getty / PhotoNews International Inc.
Kim Kardashian Wearing Louis Vuitton With Paris Hilton
As Paris Hilton‘s then-stylist, Kardashian spent her 2006 New Year’s Eve shopping with her friend and client while wearing a silver metallic Louis Vuitton cutout one-piece suit with the brand’s iconic Alma bag.