Kim Kardashian masks up in Margiela at the 2025 academy museum gala
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL NEW | Oct 19, 2025, 21:49 IST
The Fifth Annual Academy Museum Gala
( Image credit : AP )
Kim Kardashian turned heads at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles, wearing a striking Maison Margiela couture look designed by Glenn Martens. The reality star and entrepreneur arrived in a full head-covering mask, paired with a nude gown that featured sheer cups, a dramatically cinched waist, and a flowing draped skirt with an elegant train. The ensemble was accentuated by a silver and emerald choker necklace, keeping the mask in place and adding a touch of opulence.
Kim Kardashian commanded attention once more, this time while wearing a mask. Reality television star, businesswoman, and fashion icon showed up and made a jaw-dropping impression at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles, as she wore a sculptural, mask-like nude gown by Maison Margiela.
The couture moment, copied from Glenn Martens' first collection for the legendary French fashion house, went viral instantly for its bold combination of mystery and glamour. Kardashian, who has never been afraid to take risks in fashion, called the look "very Skims-y" and connected the high-fashion look to her own minimalist vibe.
A moment of concealment in couture
Kardashian accessorized with Look 38 from Margiela's Fall 2025 couture collection — a nude, corseted gown with sheer cups, an exaggerated waistline, and billowy draped sleeves that graduated into a train. The pièce de résistance was the head-wrapping nude mask that covered her entire face, held in place by a shining silver-and-emerald choker. The mask, both avant-garde and disturbing, immediately invited comparison to her 2021 Met Gala Balenciaga ensemble, where she famously showed up entirely enveloped in black drapery.
Talking on the red carpet with Variety, Kardashian discussed what attracted her to the outfit:
"It does look very Skims-y. That's why I was attracted to it when the Margiela couture show was released. I saw this look and thought, That's so me."
Despite the concealment, Kardashian confirmed that she had a full glam session before the event, even if no one could see it. “I flew in my favorite makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, from New York,” she said with a laugh. “This was kind of a last-minute thing, so I’m sure he’s not so happy about it.”
The style was borrowed from Martens' critically received Fall 2025 couture collection, his debut for Maison Margiela. The collection delved into Gothic inspirations, hidden faces, and molded silhouettes, nodding to the house's heritage of deconstruction and anonymity. Critics welcomed the show as one of the season's most conceptually bold, and Kardashian's red carpet nod further brought it into the realm of mainstream spotlight.
Fashion insiders pointed out that Kardashian's decision was more than a fashion flex; it was a reference to the constant conversation between exposure and identity in celebrity culture. "For someone as publicly visible as Kim, the act of concealing her face is a statement," Elle's fashion director said. "It's about reclaiming mystery in an era of overexposure."
No surprise here: social media flared in a matter of minutes after her red carpet debut. Some fans praised her for breaking rules. "She's the one making couture fun again," one wrote on X. Others weren't so enamored, likening her mask to "a paper bag" or Halloween costume.
But overall, it was generally agreed that Kardashian has learned how to take over a red carpet and a conversation. "Each time she covers up, she discloses more regarding her brand and image control," one Vanity Fair critic put it.
The Academy Museum Gala, in its fifth year, is now officially one of Hollywood's hot fashion-meets-film parties. This year's gala raised over $12 million to help preserve films and drew celebrities like Penélope Cruz, Dwayne Johnson, Zendaya, and Bowen Yang.
For Kardashian, the evening was another reminder of her transformation from reality-TV star to global fashion muse. Over the past few years, she has solidified relationships with designers like Balenciaga’s Demna, Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry, and now Glenn Martens at Margiela. Her ability to bridge pop culture and haute couture remains one of her strongest assets.
Kardashian became captivated by masked fashion with her attention-grabbing 2021 Met Gala look, when she stepped out in a faceless Balenciaga outfit that quickly turned into a meme. She's been experimenting with identity-concealing pieces ever since, from sci-fi visors to metal-plated corsets. Last year, she stunned on the Met Gala red carpet in a metal bustier accompanied by Margiela's iconic tabi boots.
Her most recent Margiela moment is an organic extension of that look, sophisticated, idea-driven, but undeniably "Kim."
Beyond fashion
Under the show-stopping couture lies a richer story. Kardashian, still juggling law school, her business empire, and motherhood, has increasingly employed fashion as a narrative device in which she can explore themes of independence, secrecy, and rebirth.
Whether you adored it or despised it, her masked outfit at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala illustrated what fashion at its finest can accomplish: stir, challenge, and captivate.
And as ever, Kim Kardashian knew precisely what she was doing.
The couture moment, copied from Glenn Martens' first collection for the legendary French fashion house, went viral instantly for its bold combination of mystery and glamour. Kardashian, who has never been afraid to take risks in fashion, called the look "very Skims-y" and connected the high-fashion look to her own minimalist vibe.
A moment of concealment in couture
Kardashian accessorized with Look 38 from Margiela's Fall 2025 couture collection — a nude, corseted gown with sheer cups, an exaggerated waistline, and billowy draped sleeves that graduated into a train. The pièce de résistance was the head-wrapping nude mask that covered her entire face, held in place by a shining silver-and-emerald choker. The mask, both avant-garde and disturbing, immediately invited comparison to her 2021 Met Gala Balenciaga ensemble, where she famously showed up entirely enveloped in black drapery.
Talking on the red carpet with Variety, Kardashian discussed what attracted her to the outfit:
"It does look very Skims-y. That's why I was attracted to it when the Margiela couture show was released. I saw this look and thought, That's so me."
Despite the concealment, Kardashian confirmed that she had a full glam session before the event, even if no one could see it. “I flew in my favorite makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, from New York,” she said with a laugh. “This was kind of a last-minute thing, so I’m sure he’s not so happy about it.”
Glenn Martens’ Margiela era
The style was borrowed from Martens' critically received Fall 2025 couture collection, his debut for Maison Margiela. The collection delved into Gothic inspirations, hidden faces, and molded silhouettes, nodding to the house's heritage of deconstruction and anonymity. Critics welcomed the show as one of the season's most conceptually bold, and Kardashian's red carpet nod further brought it into the realm of mainstream spotlight.
Fashion insiders pointed out that Kardashian's decision was more than a fashion flex; it was a reference to the constant conversation between exposure and identity in celebrity culture. "For someone as publicly visible as Kim, the act of concealing her face is a statement," Elle's fashion director said. "It's about reclaiming mystery in an era of overexposure."
Public response and cyber debate
No surprise here: social media flared in a matter of minutes after her red carpet debut. Some fans praised her for breaking rules. "She's the one making couture fun again," one wrote on X. Others weren't so enamored, likening her mask to "a paper bag" or Halloween costume.
But overall, it was generally agreed that Kardashian has learned how to take over a red carpet and a conversation. "Each time she covers up, she discloses more regarding her brand and image control," one Vanity Fair critic put it.
A night of stars and symbolism
The Academy Museum Gala, in its fifth year, is now officially one of Hollywood's hot fashion-meets-film parties. This year's gala raised over $12 million to help preserve films and drew celebrities like Penélope Cruz, Dwayne Johnson, Zendaya, and Bowen Yang.
For Kardashian, the evening was another reminder of her transformation from reality-TV star to global fashion muse. Over the past few years, she has solidified relationships with designers like Balenciaga’s Demna, Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry, and now Glenn Martens at Margiela. Her ability to bridge pop culture and haute couture remains one of her strongest assets.
From Balenciaga to Margiela: Kim’s masked era
Kardashian became captivated by masked fashion with her attention-grabbing 2021 Met Gala look, when she stepped out in a faceless Balenciaga outfit that quickly turned into a meme. She's been experimenting with identity-concealing pieces ever since, from sci-fi visors to metal-plated corsets. Last year, she stunned on the Met Gala red carpet in a metal bustier accompanied by Margiela's iconic tabi boots.
Her most recent Margiela moment is an organic extension of that look, sophisticated, idea-driven, but undeniably "Kim."
Beyond fashion
Under the show-stopping couture lies a richer story. Kardashian, still juggling law school, her business empire, and motherhood, has increasingly employed fashion as a narrative device in which she can explore themes of independence, secrecy, and rebirth.
Whether you adored it or despised it, her masked outfit at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala illustrated what fashion at its finest can accomplish: stir, challenge, and captivate.
And as ever, Kim Kardashian knew precisely what she was doing.