Kim Kardashian has never been one to shy away from making a statement, but her latest appearance at the Fifth Annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on October 18, 2025, has left fans and critics alike buzzing with opinions. The reality star and entrepreneur, known for her bold fashion choices and headline-grabbing business moves, arrived at the star-studded event wearing an ensemble that both concealed and revealed in equal measure—a nude, strapless Maison Margiela gown with a matching fabric mask that covered her entire face.
The outfit, which featured a skintight corset bodice and dramatic wings attached to her lower arms, created a striking batwing silhouette as Kardashian posed on the red carpet. As reported by Evoke.ie, the SKIMS founder accessorized her look with three chunky diamond necklaces stacked together, each encrusted with emerald-colored jewels, and wore coordinating rings along with long, nude-colored stiletto nails. The effect was both glamorous and mysterious, perfectly in line with Kardashian’s penchant for attention-grabbing style.
This masked look wasn’t entirely unprecedented. Fashion enthusiasts will recall Kardashian’s 2021 Met Gala appearance, where she donned an all-black Balenciaga catsuit complete with a matching balaclava—a look many saw as both avant-garde and controversial. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kardashian’s penchant for face-covering fashion has become something of a signature, and this latest iteration only fueled further speculation about her inspirations and intentions.
But the conversation around Kardashian’s Academy Museum Gala appearance didn’t stop at the outfit itself. Social media quickly lit up with reactions, many of them less than impressed. As Page Six reported, fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their opinions. “I KNOW NORTH never approved this!!” one user tweeted, referencing Kardashian’s 12-year-old daughter, North West. Another user wrote, “Nothing to look at here…She completely missed the assignment,” while a third went so far as to say, “People who like this, seriously what is wrong with you? Bring this attention seeker to the psych ward please. Nothing normal about it.”
Some fans drew direct comparisons between Kardashian’s masked look and the style of her ex-husband, Kanye West, who has become known for his own penchant for dramatic face coverings and unconventional fashion statements. “The bush panties, and now this. This is very Kanye of you, Kim,” one social media user observed, while another questioned, “What in the Kanye West is happening here?” The sentiment was echoed by Showbiz411, which pointed out that Kardashian’s face-covering could be seen as a tribute or mimicry of West’s past costumes. The outlet also noted that West is currently embroiled in lawsuits related to his failed bitcoin ventures, adding another layer of intrigue to the ongoing Kardashian-West narrative.
Kardashian herself seemed to embrace the playful, incognito aspect of her look. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, she joked with her longtime makeup artist Mario Dedivanoic while getting ready for the gala. “Mario, do I look OK? The make-up?” she quipped in a video posted to Dedivanoic’s Instagram Stories, poking fun at the fact that her face would be entirely hidden for the night.
Yet the masked gown wasn’t the only headline-grabbing move Kardashian made that week. Earlier, she introduced the SKIMS Bush, a thong featuring fake pubic hair in various shades as part of her ever-expanding underwear line. The product—a sliver of fabric adorned with a full bush of faux hair—sparked its own wave of commentary and memes, with some fans again drawing comparisons to the eccentric style choices of Kanye West.
While Kardashian’s fashion statements dominated the social media conversation, her personal life has also been the subject of public scrutiny in recent days. In a revealing interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Kardashian opened up about co-parenting with Kanye West, who now goes by “Ye.” She disclosed that West hadn’t seen their children in a couple of months, and described the challenges of raising their four kids primarily on her own. “I raise the kids full-time. They live with me, and I welcome a great, healthy relationship with my kids and their dad. He knows that I push for it all the time, but I also protect them when it’s time for that, and it goes in waves and phases, and it’s a lot of work,” Kardashian explained on the podcast, as reported by People.
Kardashian also addressed misconceptions about her willingness to facilitate visits between West and their children, stating, “It’s just a totally different narrative than what the reality is, and that just really sucks.” She shared a poignant moment with her daughter North, who recently encouraged her mother to move on and consider dating again. “I say such positive things about their dad that North had to say to me, ‘Mom, I think you go upstairs and, like, cry at night. It’s OK. It’s time to move on. You need to have a boyfriend now,’” Kardashian recounted.
The reality star reflected on the end of her marriage, describing it as “toxic” and emphasizing the toll it took on her mental health. “Once my mental health starts to get affected, and then I can’t parent the way that I need to, and I can’t be present and focused, there’s got to be one of us that can, and I had to save myself in order to be a better mom for everyone,” she said. Kardashian cited numerous challenges in the relationship, including an episode in which West, during a mental health crisis, gave away all five of their Lamborghinis to friends. “I didn’t know what you’re gonna get when you wake up,” Kardashian said, underscoring the unpredictability she faced.
Despite the difficulties, Kardashian has continued to thrive in the worlds of fashion and business. She admitted that after her divorce, she feared losing her connections to the art and fashion scenes—areas she felt West had introduced her to. “Some of my biggest projects came about after I made that decision, and some of my best relationships with fashion and art and all these things that I thought I had to give up or told I wasn’t gonna have any more,” Kardashian said. “And it was the universe just rewarding me and showing me that I was moving in the right direction.”
Back at the Academy Museum Gala, the event itself was a glitzy affair, with celebrities donning their finest and British comedienne Amelia braving a chest cold to host the red carpet. While Kardashian’s masked look may have divided opinion, it certainly succeeded in keeping her at the center of the cultural conversation—proving, once again, that in Hollywood, there’s no such thing as too much attention.
With every headline, every bold fashion statement, and every candid interview, Kim Kardashian continues to shape her narrative on her own terms, inviting both admiration and criticism in equal measure. Love her or loathe her, she’s impossible to ignore.
