Days after the 2025 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian faced a packing predicament that only a member of the one percent could fathom. How should she dress for a weeks-long trip to Paris, where she would first testify in a court case against ten robbers who stole $9 million worth of diamonds from her hotel suite in 2016, and then attend Lauren Sanchez's billionaire bachelorette party? The answer, it seems, is to hardly distinguish between the two.
Much ado was made over Kardashian's first outfit of the journey as she walked up the Voltaire courthouse steps on May 14 to testify in vintage John Galliano and heaps of diamonds. In isolation, her 52.17-carat Samer Halimeh necklace and 4.55-carat Repossi ear cuff were a defiant gesture as Kardashian faced the "grandpa robbers" on trial. Between the strong shoulders and exaggerated waist of her Galliano suit-dress and the glittering diamonds circling her neck and resting on her fingertips, Kardashian deployed her riches like a jewel-encrusted shield. Robbers could try to run off with her jewelry, but the material and cultural wealth she's accumulated are untouchable.
As Kardashian's visit to the city overlapped with pre-nuptial celebrations for Lauren Sanchez, the former broadcast journalist and bride-to-be of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, she continued to armor herself in luxury fashion. She wasn't required to appear in court each day of the trial, so she set out shopping with her mother, Kris Jenner, and linking up with stars like Katy Perry and Sanchez, in a range of vintage furs and off-the-runway archival pieces. One day, she paired a Conner Ives coat trimmed in ostrich feathers with a baseball cap; the next, she layered a Louis Vuitton fur scarf over leggings and Saint Laurent leopard print heels.
Each time the Skims mogul left her suite at Cheval Blanc Paris, a vintage fur by Dior or Vuitton draped off her shoulders. Saint Laurent and Amina Muaddi stilettos encased her feet. Outfit after outfit exhibited the same over-the-top opulence defining Kardashian's style when she's at home in Calabasas, California, down to the skintight leggings juxtaposed with her sky-high heels.
The connection between Kardashian's testimony outfit and her looks for recess from court was strongest on an evening out with Sanchez's bachelorette party. She once again turned to vintage John Galliano, selecting a Spring 1995 gown with similarly exaggerated proportions around her hips and a slight train. Just like the May 14 look, she also frosted herself in diamonds by Repossi, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Had her evening gown come with sleeves or a dinner jacket, the look would have felt like a copy-and-paste from the first outfit of the trip.
Celebrities who've previously been to court—whether to testify themselves or support loved ones—have toned down their extravagant luxury tendencies. Rihanna appeared for A$AP Rocky's assault trial in Los Angeles this spring wearing relatively understated Saint Laurent suiting and leather coats by Phoebe Philo. Gwyneth Paltrow's appearance on the witness stand during her eight-day trial for a ski collision accident in 2023 featured neutral knitwear by The Row and her G.Label by Goop brand—spawning several admiring fashion stories along the way.
These are just two instances when A-listers relied on the designers they love, without necessarily flashing luxury logos or multi-carat diamonds. To win over the jury (and the court of public opinion), appearing relatively relatable was key.
The nature of Kim Kardashian's case—and schedule—seems to have called for a different dress code. It's all speculation from the outside, but one can guess that the reality TV star finds comfort in the opulent image she's projecting.
Kardashian's robbery trial is expected to end on Friday, May 23, according to NPR. If she returns to court to see the robbers brought to justice, all signs indicate more diamonds may join her in the stands.
She stated in her May 14 testimony that she was speaking in order to put the entire ordeal "to rest." Her case for shielding herself with the priciest pieces money can buy, however, remains unending.
