Kim Kardashian is the latest cover girl for Violet Grey. I usually like Violet Grey’s editorials, because they’re bold enough to mix it up and go for some unconventional styling. There’s nothing really new about dressing up Kim Kardashian to look like Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, considering Kim has always had a thing for Taylor (and Kim even interviewed Taylor for Harper’s Bazaar years ago). Still, the editorial and interview are interesting because they’re mostly about the iconic makeup artist, Pat McGrath, styling this shoot. Here’s an excerpt (and these are the only quotes from Kim):
That’s Kim Kardashian West channeling Elizabeth Taylor channeling Cleopatra, as designed by Pat McGrath. The images, shot by Ben Hassett, are the first installment in a series for VIOLET GREY in which Ms. McGrath will reimagine paragons of old Hollywood glamour with new faces. Ms. Kardashian West—the most scrutinized woman of our time, as Elizabeth Taylor was in hers—is the model for a re-examination of the Cleopatra tales from 60 and 2,000 years ago.
“I love Elizabeth,” says Ms. Kardashian West. “Pat and I have had conversations about how iconic she is, and how iconic Cleopatra is.” She adds, laughing, “I would have done anything—I would have trusted Pat’s vision no matter what she wanted—but I was really excited that it was the Cleopatra vibe.”
Ms. Grey first approached Ms. McGrath and Ms. Kardashian West with the idea for the shoot, inspired by a 1963 Bert Stern photograph of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. “VIOLET GREY is named after Elizabeth Taylor’s violet eyes, and her spirit has always been an inspiration point for our core DNA. I was thrilled when both Kim and Pat responded to the Bert Stern image, inspired us to commission the first of a series we intend to be a study in lost glamour and iconography,” she says.
It used to really bother me that Kim sees herself as Elizabeth Taylor’s heir in beauty, fame or iconography. But at this point, I’m kind of numb to it. For this shoot in particular, I don’t even believe that Kim was the one forcing the comparison – she was asked to do an homage and she did (and the photos are pretty striking). The whole point of the editorial is to focus on the genius of Pat McGrath and Kim was used as the blank slate, if you will.
Photos courtesy of Violet Grey, Kim’s Twitter, Fame/Flynet.
Wow, what a photoshop mess in that header photo. The black and whites are better, but she and Katie need to leave the entire photo “homage” motif alone.
Pretty messed up makeup
http://www.celebglimpse.com/2015/08/kim-k-goes-nude-to-prove-she-is-truly.html
I would say her face looked like a cat’s in the picture with blue eyeshadow. But then I remembered cats were cute.
This was my face when I looked at that header pic
http://www.clevelandseniors.com/family/petdogsniff.htm
Lmao, thank you I needed that laugh today. The header pic is terrifying, but I actually like the other pictures with the glitter. Especially the b&w one.
Actually I agree that they did a good job with the inside pics.
That header pic, she looks like a blow up doll. Scary.
Why is her lower face disappearing? All that’s going to be left is a giant pair of fake lips.
Exactly! Compared to her old jaw/chin her lower face is practically gone. I wonder how many times she’s had it shaved down. She barely has a chin left and she keeps pumping up her lips which makes it even more noticeable. She needs to stop.
For example:
http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article3233541.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Kim-Kardashian.jpg
It’s really creepy, isn’t it?
So sick of hearing about her and the whole klan!
She needs to stay relevant or her younger sister will get the limelight for herself.
I can’t wait for their empire to crumble. piece by piece. filler by filler.
+1
I’m hopeful that it has begun though! Kylie stole the spotlight with the stories of her new Ferrari and the revealing pics she posted on her Instagram, so Kim had to post a naked picture of herself but no one really cared and it hasn’t gotten much attention. I think Kim is finally becoming old news.
Kim may be old news but with the younger sisters I think the klan will be in our faces for years to come. I don’t want it to be true but…
@Tate, ugh I know. Kylie is the new Kim and this is probably the only reason that Kim is becoming so irrelevant.
I can’t stand Kim, but I don’t think she literally sees herself as Liz Taylor 2.0. So far, the photos look lovely.
We have seen so many pictures of Kim in all sorts of make-up, hair, clothes, no clothes. It’s all just so boring now. Why does she keep getting pushed into our faces? I don’t get it.
This. We’ve also seen Kim naked to the point of exhaustion. No one cares anymore. Nothing she does is shocking. No one made a fuss about her second pregnancy. No one cares about her latest naked picture. She is finally slowly but surely going away.
Is this broad ever going to go away?!!!!
I’ll never understand why anyone humors this woman with comparisons to Liz Taylor simply because she’s a fan. They look absolutely nothing alike. Just because Kim has had 40 nose jobs to make hers a sliver in the middle of her face doesn’t automatically mean she’s some sort of “new Liz” as she would like to believe. I’ve been an avid fan of Audrey Hepburn’s since I was 8 and everyone who knows me knows this but no one runs around telling me how much I look like my idol or how I’m next in line. She idolizes Liz Taylor in the tackiest ways, too–she likes the part of Liz’s life that has to do with being drenched in jewels and having a legion of ex-husbands, nevermind the fact that she overcame her struggles with addiction, or her tireless work in a crusade against AIDS, or the fact that Liz was a tough lady who always spoke her mind.
Kim looks like Lady Gaga in these pictures, especially that first one in color.
Well said
Liz Taylor was also phenomenal actress. Kim is bad at playing herself on a reality show.
This!
Same goes for those who idolize Marilyn Monroe (side eye to LL most of all). Bunch of twits who care more about the myth than the person to compensate for their own feelings of insignificance.
@hogtowngooner – Totally agree. I had this conversation a lot when people I knew began referring to Marilyn as their idol when they knew absolutely nothing about her except for a few quotes attributed to her that they read on the Internet (primarily the one along the lines of “if you can’t handle me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best”). It also pissed me off when Kanye and Ricardo Tisci began referring to Kim as the new Marilyn… Like oh, really? So you’re saying Kim is a tragic figure? Strung out on pills and booze because she’s got so many deep seated emotional issues from having a terrible and tragic life? So stupid.
I have to throw this out there… I was forced to watch KUWTK once. Probably in someone’s torture basement. Kim was debating whether or not to do Playboy. One of her “reasons” for doing so was that her Idol Marilyn posed. You think you’d know that your idol never posed for Playboy but that Hefner bought the rights to her nude photos and used them as the first centerfold. But I completely agree.
Oh give me a break!!! Why does this woman get so much attention (in the form of magazine covers/features, MET gala invites, meeting Hilary Clinton, etc)??? It’s all just too much. She is not a fashion icon nor is she that pretty anymore. I wish she would go away quietly.
In the last picture, without all the stage makeup, she looks kind of rodent-y.
My cat looks more like Elizabeth Taylor.
the whole thing is just one big UGH!!
I’m assuming whoever took these pictures is a professional photographer. Why are none of them in focus?
Poor Elizabeth was shaken in her grave!! This bitch should be put to rest!