Kim Kardashian, 34, is on the new cover of Katie Grand’s LOVE magazine. It signals the end of her transition from lowly stylist to fashion favourite, that included a Vogue cover and the announcement of an ad campaign for Balmain
The 34-year-old is on the new cover of Katie Grand’s LOVE magazine
The move marks her transition from lowly stylist to fashion favourite
The metamorphosis included a Vogue cover and job as face of Balmain
When Kim Kardashian was announced as the face of the new issue of fashion bible LOVE magazine, complete with edgy bleached brows, it signaled the end of her transformation from super eek to super chic.
The metamorphosis has been no mean feat, for while she might now be a firm favourite with designers, Kim’s initial foray into the fashion world was much more humble – as a stylist for none other than Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.
In fact, a pre-fame Kim also worked as a personal shopper and she would regularly be dispatched to pick out new outfits for the the heiress and troubled film star.
Battle of the brows: Kim posed with Cara Delevingne last year shortly after the shoot had taken place
It wasn’t just her lack of A-list quality that forced Kim into the fashion doldrums though, despite her day job, back in the mid-noughties, her personal style left a lot to be desired.
From bright gold dresses to garish satin, she rarely made a ‘best-dressed’ list in the early part of her career.
But fast forward nearly ten years and it’s a completely different story.
To say Kim has become a darling in the fashion world would be somewhat of an understatement – in recent Fashion Weeks she has been front row in Paris, New York, London and Milan.
Not only that, she and her husband Kanye West were recently revealed as the new faces of Balmain and she counts Givenchy’s Creative Director Ricardo Tisci as a close personal friend.
It hasn’t been an easy transition though, for a long time Kim was shunned by the designers who now adore her.
Just over two years ago, during a photoshoot for ELLE magazine at the end of 2012, many designers refused to lend their clothes to the reality star.
Pals with Paris: Before she found global fame, Kim worked as Paris Hilton’s stylist and personal shopper. She also worked with Lindsay Lohan
What Kanye says goes: In 2012 Kanye cleared out Kim’s wardrobe and gave a complete image overhaul
Nicola Formichetti, artistic director at Diesel, styled the shoot and revealed at the time that calling in high-end samples was a ‘challenge.’
He said: ‘People wouldn’t lend me the clothes. But that’s fashion snobbery.’
Nicola, who is now good friends with Kim, revealed that the top designers didn’t want their designs featured on a woman who had, ‘less-than-model-like-proportions.’
However, he rightfully predicted at the time, ‘She’s not the It Girl yet, but she will be.’
Stylish couple: Kim and Kanye are regulars at Fashion Week
Of course, her new husband Kanye has played a large part in her style transformation.
Kim has spoken on many an occasion about the rapper-come-designer’s influence over her wardrobe choices.
In one episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kanye is even seen clearing out her closet to make way for a sleeker look.
And it seemed his help worked – just under a year after the ELLE shoot and Kim, who was heavily pregnant with North at the time, showed the first signs of being ingratiated into the fashion world.
She was asked by Carine Roitfeld, the former editor of French Vogue, to cover her CR Fashion book.
Kim was photographed for the cover picture by Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld and the shoot was art directed by Ricardo Tisci.
Pretty and pregnant: Kim looking stunning in a shoot for CR Fashion Book
Blooming lovely: Kim posed pregnant for Karl Lagerfeld, with Carine describing her as the best model
Friends: Kim and Carine share a laugh on the set of Kim’s big shoot
It was a controversial choice at the time, but that worked in Kim’s favour, as Carine later explained to Time Out.
She said: ‘She’s controversial, but so was Marilyn Monroe and I always like controversial people.’
She went on to praise the reality star, saying: ‘She was brave. . . with Karl Lagerfeld shooting.
‘She had one guy for hair, one guy for make-up – no extensions or lashes – and for her it must have been like being naked, and she accepted everything.
‘I don’t think normally she would wear those sort of clothes – I’ve never seen her in a Comme des Garcons jumpsuit or a basketball jacket, but she said yes to everything.
‘She was the easiest model we’ve had. And when we put a mask on her face, she didn’t say anything.’
Wonderful in white: Maison Martin Margiela gifted North this white outfit
It was following North’s birth in 2013 that it became clear just how popular Kim was becoming with the world’s biggest fashion houses though, from the flood of designers sent clothes for her new arrival, all duly documented on Kim’s Instagram page.
From Givenchy to Celine and Maison Martin Margiela to Alexander Wang, Kim shared photographs of North’s adorable new wardrobe, signaling to the world that the fashion supremos were finally beginning to accept her.
The biggest coup came in April 2014 though, when she and Kanye landed a joint Vogue cover ahead of their May wedding.
Their first big cover: Kim and Kanye covered the April 2014 issue of Vogue having won the approval of editor Anna Wintour
Fashionable family: Kim and Kanye took North to the Chloe show in September 2014 with Kim choosing to dress their daughter in an outfit matching hers
The news caused outrage among some of the magazine’s subscribers, but the edition went on to be one of the biggest sellers of the year.
That magazine sold 500,000 copies, beating both Beyonce and Michelle Obama’s Vogue covers.
Anna Wintour said of the cover: ‘Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue, one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, 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 think we can all agree on the fact that that role is currently being played by Kim and Kanye to a T.
‘As for the cover, my opinion is that it is both charming and touching, and it was, I should add, entirely our idea to do it; you may have read that Kanye begged me to put his fiancée on Vogue’s cover.
‘He did nothing of the sort. The gossip might make better reading, but the simple fact of the matter is that it isn’t true.’
Since then, Kim has sat from row (with North in tow) at some of the biggest shows at fashion week.
She also became part of Olivier Rousteng’s Balmain army, later posing as a model for him.
Kim now counts designers like Lagerfeld and Valentino as friends and is regularly pictured on nights out with supermodels like Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.
It truly seems that Formichetti’s prediction has come true… Kim has become the ultimate fashion It girl.
The post From Paris Hilton’s stylist to queen of couture: How Kim Kardashian made the fashion world fall in love with her appeared first on NewsandMovies.com.