Kim Kardashian Attends the 2018 Met Gala without Kanye West Wearing Sexy Gold Versace Dress
For the second year in a row, Kim Kardashian West is flying solo for fashion’s biggest night. The 37-year-old reality star and mogul stepped out on the 2018 Met Gala red carpet doing what she does best: putting her famous figure on display (reminder she’s now immortalized her body via a KKW perfume bottle).
Kardashian West looked like liquid gold in her custom chainmail Versace dress featuring crosses embroidered on the bodice and hip. She teamed the look with double cross necklaces, super long extensions and a Cleopatra-like makeup look featuring a smoky blue cat eye and a very ’90s over-lined lip that would make co-host Donatella Versace proud.
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Noticeably missing from her side, husband Kanye West, 40, who has been focusing on his upcoming music in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, after a chaotic few weeks in the spotlight, during which he continually voiced support for President Donald Trump, opened up about his 2016 breakdown, revealed he was addicted to opioids after undergoing liposuction, and the most controversial, calling slavery a “choice” during a live stream interview with TMZ, leading to an outcry from many of his fellow musicians and former fans.
Before hitting the Met red carpet, Kim joined her husband in Wyoming.
“Kim happily joined Kanye in Jackson Hole. She wants to be supportive so he can finish his album,” a Keeping Up with the Kardashians source told PEOPLE. “The album has caused Kanye a lot of stress. He is a perfectionist and wants the music to be amazing.”
The source adds: “Kim is absolutely concerned about Kanye. She likes being in Jackson Hole so she can keep an eye on his health. She wants to make sure he eats and sleeps enough. She doesn’t want him to push himself beyond his limits. She wants a healthy Kanye.”
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The 2017 Met Gala marked the first time Kim attended fashion’s biggest night without husband Kanye West.
“He’s at home,” the reality star told Vogue’s André Leon Talley at the event. “He’s been taking some time off and really loving that.”
At the time, a source told PEOPLE the rapper was not attending the 2017 Met Gala with his wife because he was not ready return to the red carpet following his late 2016 breakdown and hospitalization.
“He’s not going because he’s not ready to start attending big events,” said the source. “He’s doing great but wants to keep his stress levels low and just wants to take more time off. Kim and Kanye are in a great place.”
From 2013 through 2016, the couple commanded the red carpet together. Many have credited West for putting his wife on the fashion industry’s radar, and even Kim has admitted that she has her husband to thank for revamping her closet and overhauling her style.
“He is giving me a full clothing makeover,” Kim said on an old episode Keeping Up with the Kardashians after the couple first started dating in 2013. “Kanye’s definitely inspired me to be a little bit more of an individual. I think my style is just evolving and changing and I think it should.”
She’s also said her husband has taught her “how much cooler it is just to be a little simpler,” and now Kim has become his ultimate design inspiration and Yeezy muse.
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Below, catch a recap of all of their memorable Met Gala moments.
2016, “Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology”: Kim acknowledged the theme in her custom Balmain look, which she described as “blingy, sexy, robot,” while Kanye broke kind of rules in a pair of Fear of God ripped jeans (and colored contacts!).
During a recent appearance on Ellen, Kim said of Kanye’s look: “He was wearing these crazy contacts and he really liked wearing denim to the Met. No one has ever worn denim to the Met Ball so that made him very happy.”
Their coordinating outfits landed the couple on Vogue‘s “best dressed” list, which thrilled West.
“I’m really excited to get our first best dressed at the met … This Gala is like the Grammys of style,” West Tweeted at the time.
As for Kim’s outfit, designed by her close friend, Balmain Creative Director Olivier Rousteing, it’s hanging in her closet waiting for North West to possibly wear it to her own prom one day.
“I kind of wanted a silver theme. I felt everyone was gonna go with that. I still really wanted to do it,” Kim said on the red carpet of her look. “I thought Balmain was the perfect choice for me and Kanye especially. I wanted to be a blingy sexy robot…North said, ‘Mommy I need that dress.’ I said, ‘As soon as I get home you can have it. You can wear it to prom.'”
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2015, “China: Through the Looking Glass”: Kim’s very sheer, crystal-embroidered, feathered Roberto Cavalli gown (designed by Peter Dundas as one of his first acts as Roberto Cavalli Creative Director) gave some flashbacks to Beyoncé’s 2012 Met Gala “naked dress,” but it turned out the star was inspired by another pop icon. “Tonight’s inspiration! Cher at the 1st ever Met Gala,” Kim wrote on Instagram, adding, “I just met her and told her this photo was my inspiration for my dress tonight! She is so beautiful! So happy I met her!!” Kim has continued to channel her icon in print (like this photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia) and IRL. The weekend before this year’s Met Gala, Kim headed to Las Vegas for part two of her 20-year high school reunion, and she channeled Cher from head-to-toe as she attended the music legend’s Sin City show alongside her high school friends.
Kanye, however, did not channel Sonny Bono’s ’70s style, at the 2015 gala, instead opting for a velvet suit and matching fringe scarf for the night.
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2014, “Charles James: beyond Fashion”: The couple both appeared to take the theme seriously in 2014, paying homage to courtier Charles James with Kanye wearing a black tux with coattails and Kim selecting a blue strapless Lanvin gown with a black waistband (which she ended up adding last minute!) and thigh-high slit, because when your Kim, skin is always in.
Just one month earlier, the couple landed their first Vogue cover in April 2014. And three weeks later, Kimye made their union official, marrying at Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, on May 24.
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2013, “Punk: Chaos to Couture”: It may have been the dress that launched 1,000 memes, but Kim loved her custom floral Givenchy look so much (even the built-in gloves), she wore it again two years later for Halloween when pregnant with Saint. For his part, Kanye opted for a sleek black suit.
