In 2014, Kim Kardashian popped in a faux septum piercing and felt inspired to upload a photo of herself onto Instagram. She captioned this image with the phrase “💀 gothic keeks 💀.” Kim would, I imagine, balk at the lifestyle requirements of being a dyed-in-the-wool goth, like listening to Sigue Sigue Sputnik and owning pet rats, but that is beside the point. That one of the most mainstream celebrities should align themselves with the aesthetics of a nihilistic subculture is a bit fun.
It’s worth noting that Kardashian posted this to social media at a time when her look (greige stretch dresses and Perspex heels) was fast becoming the fashion template. It makes me think of Kourtney Kardashian’s well-documented transition into “hot goth wife,” which has seen her abandon all those Balmain dresses and Jacquemus bags for Rick Owens pants and Raf Simons sweaters and The Cure merch. Can she name the 10 songs required (it’s a Very Official Rule) to pull off a band T-shirt? Who cares!
It also makes me think of the two sisters’ televised feud, which expressed itself through fashion. Who was the first to wear ’90s-era Dolce & Gabbana? Who was the first to hire Andrea Bocelli to sing at their wedding? Who was the first to cloak themselves in darkness and smear black lipstick onto their face? Last night, at the CFDA Awards, Kim Kardashian wore a dress that looked as though it could have come from Kourtney’s wardrobe: a leather Chrome Hearts column, overlaid with macabre croc-effect crosses. All this is to say: “I got married in Italy. Am I saying you copied me by getting married in Italy?”
This article first appeared in British
