Kim K Serves a Fashion Flex at SNL, but is She the First?

The Queen of reality television made her Saturday Night Live debut in a living, breathing piece of native advertising for Demna’s Balenciaga.

CREDIT: NBC/Rosalind O’Connor

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Love her or hate her, Kim Kardashian serves full c*nt, full-time when it comes to a fashion moment. Yeah, I said it, and if you don’t like it, my Instagram DMs are open for your hate mail. In the now-41-year-old business and media mogul’s latest imprint on American culture, Kardashian hosted the famed Saturday Night Live on Oct. 9.

While poking fun at OJ Simpson, Corey Gamble’s gold-digging tendencies and her infamous sex tape in her opening monologue, Kardashian did it dripped out in head-to-toe Balenciaga, and she looked amazing while doing it. In Demna Gvasalia’s monthslong love affair with Kardashian as his latest muse, she put the relationship on display with a fashion spectacle ahead of and amid her appearance on SNL.

CREDIT: Getty Images

During her time in New York City, Kardashian stepped out in several of Balenciaga’s latest designs. Ranging from a full monochromatic black leather ensemble complete with a puffer vest to a body-hugging black wrap top finished off with a metallic-tinsel embellished coat, she didn’t come to disappoint. To finish it off, Kardashian made her SNL debut wearing a hot pink, velvet bodysuit from the label, opera gloves and all.

Surprisingly enough, Kim isn’t the first host of SNL to take advantage of their appearance on the show to make a fashion statement. Peruse if you will to take a look at some of our favorite fashion moments in recent SNL history.

Dua Lipa in Valentino Couture

CREDIT: NBC/Will Heath

Dua Lipa is no stranger to giving her fans an iconic fashion moment. She’s become Donatella Versace’s new bestie and addition to her clan of muses, and every designer under the sun wants to dress her. So, it’s no surprise that she took the opportunity to shine during her performance on SNL.

The British pop singer donned an all-white Valentino couture gown and feather headpiece from Pierpaolo Piccioli’s F/W 2021 collection for the fashion house. The headpiece gave jellyfish-core, but nonetheless, it worked. Lipa also showed her love for archive fashion, slipping into a leopard-print bustier from Azzedine Alaïa’s F/W 1991 collection. So, thank you Dula Peep for giving us another iconic fashion moment.

Kid Cudi in Custom Off-White

CREDIT: NBC/Will Heath

Virgil Abloh has set fire to Louis Vuitton, but that’s a rant for another article. However, he does impeccable couture work. Who can forget Hailey Bieber’s wedding dress? In his performance for SNL earlier this year, Kid Cudi paid homage to Kurt Cobain, the late lead singer of Nirvana, the first band to perform on the show twice, with the help of Virgil Abloh.

Clad in a floor-length, floral-print, custom Off-White gown finished off with sequins, Cudi gave his performance of Sad People to the audience. While the look felt like a piece of nostalgia in its tribute to Cobain, it also felt fitting for the times as the lines between gendered fashion are becoming increasingly blurred.

Anya Taylor in Vintage Courrèges

CREDIT: NBC/Will Heath

I’ll admit that I don't know much about Anya Taylor-Joy. What I do know is the Oscar-winning actress has had one hell of a year. From her tantalizing role in The Queen’s Gambit to a new ambassadorship with Tiffany & Co., she’s climbing the steps on the fashion ladder, and she’s doing it quickly.

She donned several looks for her appearance, including a nude Peter Do gown and leopard print Brandon Maxwell dress. However, one of the more conspicuous, but gorgeous looks from the night was a vintage 1960s Courrèges mini dress from the archives of Law Roach, the stylist behind the looks. The mod mini dress was ‘60s U.K. it-girl meets Sharon Tate, giving us a taste of the actress’s range, but what more could we expect from Roach?

Lil Nas X in Mowalola

CREDIT: NBC/Will Heath

The night Lil Nas X performed on SNL, most people were left talking about his Satanic-inspired performance, complete with a stripper pole, wardrobe malfunction and a lick from a backup dancer.

The Montero singer balanced out the night with an all-white suit, with the exception of two bleeding bullet wounds on the jacket, from Mowalola Ogunlesi’s S/S 2020 collection. The look was a piece of subtle, yet meaningful political commentary, which X never shies away from in his work. The Nigerian designer describes the piece as a reference to her “lived experience as a Black person,” which is all too relevant during these times.

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Jacob McLean is an Online Writer at Rowdy Magazine. When he's not hunched over his computer, drinking alarming amounts of coffee or searching for new music, you'll probably find him daydreaming about his future life in NYC like every other basic bitch. Find him on Insta at jacobmclean_