Kim Kardashian Paid Homage to Elizabeth Taylor at Demna’s Balenciaga Swan Song

On Wednesday morning, Demna presented his final collection for Balenciaga as the brand’s creative director. Unsurprisingly, all of his most noted celebrity devotees—including Nicole Kidman, Michelle Yeoh, and Isabelle Huppert—were in attendance, both in the front row and on the runway itself. The latter is where longtime friend of the brand Kim Kardashian found herself, modeling an Elizabeth Taylor-inspired ensemble, complete with the late actor’s actual earrings.

Kardashian showcased look nine in the presentation, an ivory satin slip dress reminiscent of the one Taylor wears in the 1958 film, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. A “faux-fur” coat comprised of embroidered feathers topped the dress, while 15-carat diamond chandelier earrings, once owned by Taylor, decorated the ensemble.

Lorraine Schwartz designed the high jewelry for Demna’s final collection, creating 11 custom pieces using over 100 carats of diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires. The necklaces worn by Kardashian were also Schwartz creations, made from about 250 carats of diamonds, while Taylor’s earrings came from Schwartz’s personal archive.

In her book, My Love Affair With Jewelry, Taylor tells the story of how the earrings came into her life. She first fell in love with a pair of chandelier earrings in 1957 while walking on the Place Vendôme with her then-husband, producer Mike Todd. “We were just sort of window-shopping, when I found the perfect window—and I said, ‘Mike! Oh God, oh Mike, couldn’t I please please please? I can’t go home without them!” she recalled in her book.

They purchased the pair, which were made from fake diamonds, and a couple of months later, when she went to wear them in New York, she found them in a different box. “I didn’t give it much thought,” she said. “I opened the box, and the earrings looked all polished up, and I put them on.” She immediately noticed they fit differently and expressed that to Todd. That’s when he informed Taylor he’d had them remade with real diamonds. “Mike was so incredibly inventive and loved to surprise me in so many different ways,” she said, ending the story with the quip that she immediately thanked her husband for the gift. “We were a bit late for the party...”

The earrings remained a constant in Taylor’s jewelry rotation throughout her life. The actor was often seen wearing them, even decades after Todd’s untimely death in 1958.

In 2011, they were auctioned off as part of a sale of the actor’s jewelry collection at Christie’s. In total, the auction garnered almost $116 million in sales. Schwartz bought the earrings for $374,500. Funny enough, Kardashian bought a pair of three Lorraine Schwartz jade bangles during that sale for $64,900. Though maybe we shouldn’t be surprised, as Kardashian has become known as a bit of a historical magpie, swiping up notable accessories at every celebrity auction over the years.