KYLIE Jenner caused an uproar by wearing a giant "lion head" at Paris Couture Fashion Week.
The head-turning look was a major conversation starter in person and online, sparking discussions about animal cruelty and attention-seeking fashion statements.
On January 23, Paris Haute Couture week kicked off with a bang when Kylie Jenner arrived wearing a statement lion’s head on her shoulder at the Schiaparelli show.
She wore a pre-release from the label's Spring-Summer 2023 couture collection that debuted moments later on the runway, with model Irina Shayk wearing the same look.
There were opposing thoughts about the outfit, with some calling it fashionable, others saying it was attention-seeking, and several people labeling it as just plain wrong.
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Intrigued by the daring fashion statement, I recreated the look on myself and took to the streets of New York City to gauge some opinions.
According to the Schiaparelli brand's Instagram, the gown was made of “foam, wool, and silk faux fur, and hand-painted to look as life-like as possible.”
To further emphasize that the animal was not real, they added in all caps: “NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN MAKING THIS LOOK.”
The reality television star's lion head was praised by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA], for being "fabulously innovative."
But some accused Jenner and the brand of promoting animal hunting and taxidermy.
PETA president, Ingrid Newkirk, defended the Schiaparelli collection and said that it "may be a statement against trophy hunting, in which lions and wolves are torn apart to satisfy human egotism.”
When I walked the streets of Manhattan, I went to numerous hot spots to gauge a range of opinions, including Times Square, Herald Square, and the New York Public Library.
I asked several questions to complete strangers to get their opinions on the look.
- Would you wear something similar to Kylie’s dress in public?
- Do you think the lion's head was too much?
- Would you consider the look fashionable?
- Do you think Kylie Jenner’s dress promoted animal cruelty?
- Who wore it better? Me or Kylie?
One person in Times Square said the lion feature was a rip-off of one worn by LisaRaye McCoy.
Actress and former first lady of the Turks and Caicos Islands LisaRaye wore a look by designer Kevin Arnett to Da Brat's birthday in 2021.
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"We see you, Kylie," he said.
Some pedestrians were quick to shut down the glamorous outfit because they believed that it did promote animal cruelty.
"Why would you look at something and see that and be like, I want to wear that?" a person asked.
"I think for most it's a little insensitive, and it didn't look that cool," another man said.
I thought more people would be familiar with the look, considering how New York is such a fashion capital.
In reality, some people thought I just looked weird in a costume, so I pulled up a photo of Kylie's look a few times to get genuine reactions.
I showed one woman the photo and she said that she "didn't think it's necessarily tasteful" but it gave the beauty mogul additional publicity.
One woman who was a major style fanatic saw me before I saw her and made her presence known with a loud, "HEY KYLIE!"
"I thought it was epic. You have to go over the top when you're in fashion," she said.
"You have to be extreme to get noticed."
A few people also pointed out that the look was on point for Jenner, whose zodiac sign is Leo, denoted by the lion symbol.
Despite all of the different thoughts, there was one unanimous opinion among all of the interviewees.
When asked, "Who wore it better?" they all agreed that I pulled it off a smidge better than the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner family.
Whether that notion is true is yet to be determined, but overall New Yorkers had a lot to say about the faux fur fallout from Jenner's lion-head dress.
