After becoming the centre of attention wearing Olivier Rousteing's Balmain for the 'Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology' Met Gala last year, fashion fans across the world have been waiting in anticipation for the red carpet arrival of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at this evening's annual event.
However, when the mother-of-two hit the famous steps outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute tonight, her husband was surprisingly nowhere to be seen.
Wearing a simple white, off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved dress, the reality star shocked Met Gala followers, as her usual, bold fashion style seemed to have completely disappeared for the night.
Instead, the businesswoman opted for a suprisingly stripped back look for one of fashion's most important night's of the year.
Wearing her lob hair in a pin-straight style with stripped-back make-up, the Californian beauty's look was in stark contrast to last year's machine-inspired ensemble.
A source reportedly told E! News, the star's husband would not be attending the New York-based festivities as he had decided to stay in Los Angeles with the couple's two children, North and Saint, but assured fans the pair's marriage was going strong.
'He and Kim are doing fine. He has been taking time off and is totally supportive of Kim attending,' the source told the news outlet.
The 'Famous' singer allegedly had intended to attend the A-list event– to which he has attended with his wife every year since 2013 – but changed his mind at the last minute, months after he was admitted to hospital for exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
The 36-year-old's solo appearance at tonight's Met Gala comes six months after she was tied up and robbed in an apartment in Paris – a terrifying ordeal she recently described on the Ellen Degeneres show 'was meant to happen'.
'I'm such a different person. I don't want to start crying anymore. It was meant to happen to me. I really feel like things happen in your life to teach you things. It was probably no secret -- and you see it on the show -- I was being flashy and I was definitely materialistic before,' she revealed.
We're happy to see Kim looking so strong and confident on the red carpet, with or without Kanye, but we had expected a bit more experimentation with her fashion choices for the biggest night in fashion and entertainment's calendar.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
