Kim Kardashian's Met Gala Hairstyle Is Shockingly Casual

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If there's one star who always brings her glam A-game to the Met Gala red carpet, it's Kimberly Noel Kardashian. Kardashian takes the Met Gala very seriously, even going so far as to bleach her hair platinum blonde right before the 2022 Gala, when she wore Marilyn Monroe's “Happy Birthday” dress. Many fans speculated Kardashian would be blonde for the gala again, and they were right — she did it! For the 2024 event, Kardashian and her team, including hairstylist Chris Appleton, returned to the lighter side with long, undone icy white waves, a cool contrast to her silver corseted gown.

Kardashian's hair was much more casual than we expected for the event, worn in simple bends that flowed past her shoulders to mid-back. The platinum blonde was parted in the center with a hint of root and wasn't too “done” but rather left casual and a little messy, a total 180 from her ‘90s-inspired updo from the 2023 Gala. As an additional surprise, Appleton gathered a portion of hair into a loose, undone fishtail braid. It’s a style we've seen on Kardashian many times before (minus the braid), which honestly felt fresh and unexpected on the green-and-white Met Gala carpet.

“For my Met Gala look this year, I wanted to focus on creating a natural, skin-first look with lived-in, loose hair to accentuate the texture and natural, garden-like elements of the dress," Kardashian told Allure.

"We wanted it to look like she had been tussling around in the garden,” Appleton told Allure of his inspiration. He shared that the look had been in progress for a few months because of the color change. “We decided that Kim should be blonde with this outfit, and John Galliano wanted it to be blonde as well,” Appleton explained. “However, we knew that she wanted to keep a dark root. Since the root was really important to her, we needed to use high-quality tools and products that protect against heat damage.”

First, Appleton prepped with Color Wow Money Mist Leave-in Conditioner, which he says gives hair a “glossy, expensive-looking finish,” and Color Wow Dream Coat For Curly Hair. Once the hair was prepped, Appleton used the Curl-Defining Diffuser attachment on the Shark FlexStyle Sparkle Air Styling & Drying System in Black Diamond and diffused with high heat and low air. For volume and movement, he spritzed on Color Wow Style on Steroids Texturizing Spray, then smoothed the bangs with the Shark FlexStyle Oval Brush attachment and curled throughout the hair before adding the fishtail braid at the ends.

The Skims founder skipped a full eye and lip in favor of simple, neutral tones for a no-makeup makeup look, with a pinkish-peach blush on the apples of her cheeks and just a touch of matte peach on her lips, plus a fluttery, long lash. “For Kim’s Met Gala glam this year, we wanted to go for a paired down makeup that was natural and effortless with light bronzed and softly sculpted complexion to enhance her natural beauty," said her go-to makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, who prepped her skin with SKKN by Kim Toner, Face Cream, and Oil Drops, then used Makeup by Mario products on the star, including SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer, Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil, and Soft Pop Powder Blush in shades Poppy Pink and Mellow Mauve.

Of course, all eyes were on the gown, a silver Maison Margiela by John Galliano with an intense corset that made her waist look miniscule before evolving into a sparkly, semi-sheer column skirt. Milky pink stiletto nails by nail artist Kim Truong added edge and glamour.

More from the Met Gala:

• Only Jennifer Lopez Could Get Away with Wearing a Messy Bun to the Met Gala

• Zendaya Said "Florals For Spring But Make It 1920s Art Goth"

• The Best Beauty Looks of the 2024 Met Gala

Now, revisit last year's Met Gala:

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Originally Appeared on Allure