Here’s why Kim Kardashian’s CFDA outfit is actually pretty empowering

kim kardashian
(Image credit: Rex)

Fresh off her visit to the White House, Kim Kardashian walked the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards red carpet last night and picked up her own accolade.

To mark the occasion, the entrepreneur wore a crop top and maxi skirt ensemble by Rick Owens, which naturally raised a few eyebrows on Twitter thanks to its revealing aspect (Kim went sans bra for the evening).

But actually, her outfit was pretty symbolic and empowering if you asked me. Because when Kim first started out a few years ago, her publicist told her she could keep on dreaming if she ever wanted to make it in fashion.

kim kardashian

Taking to the stage to accept her inaugural Influencer Award, Kim said, 'It was maybe seven years ago when I had a publicist, and she asked, what were my goals, what were my dreams, and I said I just wanted to be on the cover of a fashion magazine.

'And she said, let's (make) some realistic goals because that will never happen. And so, of course I sent her my Vogue cover when it came out. An autographed copy. So it's really a trip to me that now I'm here getting an award for fashion when it's something I always loved. Thank you so much for this, it means a lot.'

And by dressing like she always has, she stayed true to herself, even if she didn't fit in with the regular fashion crowd.

She even joked, 'I'm kind of shocked I'm getting a fashion award when I'm naked most of the time'

kim kardashian

Plus, there's the fact that Kim decided to walk the red carpet with her sister Kourtney, rather than with her husband Kanye, choosing to share the limelight with another successful woman.

And if that's not empowering I don't know what is.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.