Happy birthday to Kim Kardashian who turned 46 on Wednesday. A non-milestone birthday in the midweek called for ‘intimate’ celebrations. So just like the rest of us. Except not; ‘intimate’ by Kardashian standards is an opulent blowout by anyone else’s. Still, the scaled down festivities were somewhat relatable, with cake (the size of a studio apartment, covered in hundreds of the plumpest raspberries you’ve ever seen) at sister Khloé’s house (mansion!).
It makes sense. You reach an age and stage where it no longer sits right to do a massive birthday thing (milestone anniversaries are a different matter). You and your peers are too busy/broke/stressed/tired/booked out to commit to a weekend bacchanal in the name of a 34th / 56th / 29th / whatever birthday, however much they love you. Don’t even start on the whole ‘birthday week’ jam; nobody over 10 gets one of those. And you don’t get more ‘let’s just do something small’ than a 46th birthday on a Wednesday.
But, one area of the birthday celebrations where you don’t have to hold back, however, is giving yourself permission to dress like the main character. For Kim that meant two co-ordinating archival Paco Rabanne looks, from the A/W 1995 couture collection. One red look, one green, they consisted of chainmail midi dresses with wide-sleeves, plunging at the neck and slit super high at the front, knickers on show. Even given her family’s steadfast commitment to turbo-charged glamour – the rest of them were hardly in their loungewear – there would be no doubting who the birthday girl is.
Back here in real life, we might not possess the budget or connections to get hold of two vintage couture looks, nor the chutzpah to wear a disco-diva-meets-classical-goddess headpiece. Still, there is something to take from Kim’s birthday fashion attitude.
Sartorially making a sense of occasion out of your Big Day is empowering. It’s a visible reminder that you are worth celebrating, not least by yourself, and testament to the fact that you know getting older is a privilege. Sure, the Kardashians have an army of stylists and assistants and fixers, and an almost-limitless budget, but this isn’t about copying the Kim look, it’s just about wearing something a touch more va-va-voom, a bit more ‘special’ than you usually would. It’s permission to indulge in a little bit of escapism for a night. You probably don’t even need to buy something new; no doubt there’s a dress bought for a wedding tucked away somewhere.
One of the most humbling realisations of getting older is understanding how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. But that’s also one of the most liberating parts of aging. Why not play the star role for a few hours. Sure, it’s hard for (most of) us to take up space, and for one night only you have carte blanche to do exactly that. Of course, if you find the idea of being centre of attention mortifying, well, join the club. But why not try it? You might just surprise yourself.
Main Image Credit: @kimkardashian