Honestly, the Kendall Jenner Met Gala dress is basically its own sub-genre of fashion history at this point. Every May, we sit there waiting to see if she’ll lean into the "naked dress" vibe or do something totally out of left field. But 2024 was different. It wasn't just another pretty gown; it was a 25-year-old "sleeping beauty" that caused a literal civil war among fashion archivists and Twitter (X) historians.
People were losing their minds over her Givenchy by Alexander McQueen look. Why? Because Kendall claimed she was the "first human" to ever wear it.
That’s a big claim. Huge.
Most people don't realize how high the stakes are when you pull something from the 1999 archives. These pieces aren't just clothes; they're museum artifacts. If you spill a drop of champagne or pop a seam, you've basically destroyed a masterpiece.
The 1999 Givenchy Controversy Explained (Simply)
So, here is the deal with the 2024 Kendall Jenner Met Gala dress. It came from McQueen’s Fall/Winter 1999 haute couture collection for Givenchy. When Kendall hit the carpet, she told Vogue it had only ever been on a mannequin. It had been "sleeping" for a quarter-century.
Then the internet did what it does best: it found receipts.
🔗 Read more: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
A photo of Winona Ryder from a 1999 Flaunt Magazine shoot started circulating. She was wearing what looked like the exact same dress. People were calling Kendall a liar, saying the "first human" thing was a total scam.
But wait.
The house of Givenchy eventually cleared it up. Turns out, Winona was wearing a replica for that shoot. The dress Kendall wore was the actual original couture piece that had stayed tucked away in a temperature-controlled vault since the 90s.
Why the 2024 Look Was a Nightmare to Wear
You’ve gotta realize, Kendall couldn't change a single thing about that dress. No tailoring. No hem adjustments. No letting it out at the hips.
- 100,000 beads and sequins were hand-sewn into the fabric.
- It took 500 hours of labor to create originally.
- The back had a V-shaped cutout that sat dangerously low.
If it didn't fit her perfectly off the rack—or off the mannequin, I guess—she wouldn't have been able to wear it. It was a "miracle," as she put it. She literally had to hold her breath and hope for the best because archival pieces like that are fragile. They don't have the stretch or durability of modern fabrics.
💡 You might also like: Why American Beauty by the Grateful Dead is Still the Gold Standard of Americana
Why 2025 Changed the Game for Her
Fast forward to 2025. The theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." While everyone expected another archival gown, Kendall pivoted. She went for a custom Torishéju skirt suit.
It was a power move.
Instead of playing the "pretty girl in a dress" card, she wore a sculptural, plunging jacket and skirt inspired by Gladys Bentley and 1920s Harlem Renaissance style. It featured these insane elongated panels and Nigerian-inspired wrapping techniques.
It was a total departure.
Kinda cool to see her move away from the sheer, "look at me" aesthetic into something that felt more like "I'm the boss of this carpet." It took 242 hours to make and used 100 feet of deadstock fabric. That’s a lot of material for a suit that still managed to look sleek.
📖 Related: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
The Evolution of the "Naked" Aesthetic
We can't talk about the Kendall Jenner Met Gala dress history without mentioning 2017. That was the La Perla moment. You remember it—the one that was basically just 85,000 crystals held together by a prayer.
She's been the poster child for the "naked dress" for years.
- 2017 (La Perla): Total transparency. No bra, just a G-string and a lot of confidence.
- 2021 (Givenchy): A tribute to Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Sheer, but classy. It took 2,500 hours and 30 beaders to finish.
- 2023 (Marc Jacobs): The glittery bodysuit with the floor-length sleeves. No pants. Just boots and sparkles.
Each of these looks plays with the idea of what's "appropriate" for a gala. She’s constantly walking the line between high fashion and, well, showing a lot of skin. But as she gets older, you can see the shift. The archival Givenchy in 2024 and the Torishéju suit in 2025 show a model who is starting to care more about the story of the clothes than just the shock value.
What You Should Know Before the Next Met
If you're trying to track the Kendall Jenner Met Gala dress trends for future events, keep an eye on who she's hanging out with. Her stylist, Dani Michelle, is the mastermind behind these pivots. They’ve moved from "look at my body" to "look at this piece of history."
- Archival is the new custom. After the Winona Ryder drama, expect more deep-vault pulls.
- Tailoring matters. In 2025, she proved she can do "sophisticated" just as well as "sexy."
- Fit is everything. Since archival pieces can't be altered, her team spends months sourcing pieces that match her exact measurements.
Kendall has been going to the Met since she was 18. She’s a veteran now. She knows that the red carpet isn't just about looking good for the cameras; it’s about making the fashion historians talk for weeks.
To stay ahead of the next red carpet cycle, start looking into the creative directors of the brands she wears. If she’s wearing Givenchy, look at the McQueen era (1996-2001). If she’s doing Prada, look at their 90s minimalism. Understanding the history of the house usually gives you a 90% chance of guessing what she’ll pull from the archives next time.