Kim Kardashian knows the world watches her every move, and every move is worth watching. As the stars filed onto the 2021 Met Gala red carpet, fans waited with bated breath to see what stunt the reality star/mogul would pull tonight. What do you wear when you want to be seen but not seen? Taking a cue from her soon-to-be ex-husband(?) Kanye West's book, Kim K showed up incognito in a fully covered black outfit for the annual event. Her entire head was fully covered, save for a high-shine floor-length ponytail sticking out the top of the cover. The man responsible? Chris Appleton, of course.
Appleton, who is Kim K's go-to hairstylist and the man behind Ariana Grande's flawless signature high ponytail, created a look so simple yet eye-catching. With a client as high-profile as Kim K—whose past Met Gala fits have run the gamut from the 'couch dress' to the stunning wet naked dress to the gold Versace moment—Appleton wanted to pull off a full glam look, even if she wasn't going to be seen.
The duo settled on a 75-inch floor-length ponytail that was 'simple and clean, but high shine with a luxe finish,' he tells ELLE.com via email. 'Simple can still make a statement.' To start, Appleton slicked Kim K's hair with the Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray to keep the hair glossy. After brushing her hair up in a ponytail, Appleton applied the Color Wow Cult Favorite to the roots to reduce humidity before weaving in extensions until it was long enough.
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The goal was to create a hairstyle that seamlessly accentuated the overall look, not take away from it. 'The look is the most famous woman in the world,' Appleton added. '[It's the] new era of not being seen. The pony was to accentuate the look [with] 75 inches that almost looked like a train.'
Of course, Twitter went into a tizzy when Kim K walked the red carpet in her look (shortly after, Balenciaga's creative director, Demna Gvasalia, joined her in a similar outfit). If the goal was to 'get the people going,' mission accomplished.
Nerisha Penrose is the Beauty Commerce Editor at ELLE.com. Prior to joining the team, she was an Editorial Fellow at ELLE.com. In her current role, she helps lead coverage on makeup, skin care, hair, and fragrances. With over six years of experience in the world of beauty editorial, Nerisha enjoys delving deep into the complexities of fragrance notes, hunting for the best fixes for acne-prone skin, and advocating for daily sunscreen use. She regularly researches and tests the latest products, consults beauty professionals (including our Beauty Advisory Board) to determine the best expert-approved formulas to recommend, and conducts interviews with luminaries across the industry. Nerisha received her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies from Temple University before joining the editorial teams at Nylon and Billboard. In 2020, she co-launched our popular franchise The State of Black Beauty, an ongoing exploration of—and destination for—beauty at the intersection of Black culture.
