Saint Laurent Was Obviously Inspired by Lil’ Kim

Lil’ Kim might not be the most obvious source of inspiration for a couture designer, but the connection can no longer be denied.

At Saint Laurent’s Paris Fashion Week show on Tuesday, one of the dresses that went down the runway was a strapless leather little black dress with a sharp neckline that only covered one bosom. The model’s exposed boob was adorned with a silver pasty to cover her nipple. Sound familiar?

Cue flashbacks to Lil’ Kim’s 1999 MTV VMAs look. You know the one we’re talking about… the one-shoulder one-boob purple sparkly jumpsuit with a matching pasty in the shape of a seashell covering her areola. The mermaid-inspired suit was designed for the rapper by her stylist Misa Hylton. Lil’ Kim took the look even further with a matching purple wig, lipstick, and platform heels.

Now, we’re not sure Bad Boy royalty was exactly what Anthony Vaccarello was going for, in his first time out as creative director. He might have just been following orders or have been inspired by the past, since this style has appeared in presentations before his time; the brand also sent a mono boob dress down the runway during the fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear show. But perhaps it was his idea to add the pasty?

Either way, you know the rule when it comes to Lil’ Kim lookalikes: The first time, we let it slide. But once the pasty is brought out to play, the female rapper gets some credit. And there’s no shame in that. Lil’ Kim is da bomb.

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