Kim Kardashian's striking orange fibreglass breastplate at Monday's Met Gala was the work of east London art duo Whitaker Malem, in collaboration with pop artist Allen Jones and a car bodyshop in Kent. The piece, which sparked conversation as one of the night's most talked-about looks, was made just weeks before the event.
Patrick Whitaker, 61, and Keir Malem, 60, of Whitaker Malem, described how Kardashian contacted them directly in early April. During a video call, she discussed the fit of the breastplate while showing her chest, as Malem and his father ate dinner in the background. Kardashian later flew to the UK and visited Jones's Oxfordshire home with a body dummy.
The breastplate was cast from a mould derived from Jones's 1969 'Hatstand' sculpture, with a hand-painted leather skirt added. It was sprayed orange by Martyn Smith at MPS Body and Paint in Lydd, Kent. Smith applied several layers of primer, stopper, solvent-based paint and gloss lacquer, taking a full day to complete.
Whitaker noted that Kardashian was nervous about wearing the piece, especially after learning from Anna Wintour that five others, including her half-sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner, were also wearing breastplates. The finished item weighed the same as a bag of flour, and Kardashian wore nothing underneath.
The breastplate was collected days before the gala by a courier who flew first class from Los Angeles to London, then returned to Heathrow for a flight to New York. Unable to book a seat for the outfit, it was stored in the overhead locker.
