Met Gala

Thierry Mugler -- an iconic French fashion designer -- has died ... this according to his team.

An Instagram on Mugler's official page went up Sunday with the tragic news. It was a photo of nothing but a blank square, with the caption ... "#RIP We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday January 23rd 2022. May his soul Rest In Peace." The same message was repeated in French as well.

No word on a cause of death, but his passing seems sudden and unexpected -- as he didn't appear to be ill or battling any known ailments.

As you can imagine, the tributes started to pour almost instantly ... especially from folks in the fashion world, who knew Mugler well from his decades-long work and influence in the industry.

It goes without saying ... Mugler has dressed some of the biggest names in the game, including Kim Kardashian -- whom he actually graced with an outfit of his during the 2019 Met Gala, this after he'd officially retired -- plus a plethora of other models and stars.

His extravagant designs have been fan-faves among celebs like Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Jerry Hall, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Rihanna, David Bowie, George Michael, Linda Evangelista, Demi Moore, Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Robin Wright, Bella Hadid ... and many others.

All of them have donned Mugler-designed getups at one point or another, be it on the red carpet, on the runway ... or on stage. The guy's work touched at least 3 different decades of fashion -- and he was absolutely beloved among Hollywood's finest.

In addition to his clothing contributions, Mugler also left his mark in the fragrance biz ... with a diverse line of perfumes that are still best sellers to this day.

He was 73.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are finished, but it appears he's now trying to create a new version of his soon-to-be ex-wife -- dressing new girlfriend Julia Fox top to bottom in Balenciaga -- a brand that has become synonymous with Kim.

Check out Julia's looks over the last week or so as the pair hit Miami and NYC. First, Julia was spotted on South Beach rocking a Balenciaga top.

Fast forward to Tuesday night in NYC. Julia wore a blue coat to "Slave Play" on Broadway -- but was in a much different look as she and Ye left dinner at Carbone. Julia was dressed almost head-to-toe in black Balenciaga -- coat, gloves, purse and top -- when she and Kanye piled into their SUV after dinner. We should note -- Carbone is a favorite of Kim's.

Interestingly enough -- Julia seems to be a fan of Kim and her Skims brand -- posing in the shapewear in the past. Not to mention, she follows Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie, Kendall and Scott Disick on Instagram.

Of course, Kim has almost exclusively been spotted in Balenciaga lately -- from the Met Gala to her opening monologue look on 'SNL.'

Kim Kardashian took home the Fashion Award at the 2021 People's Choice Awards last night ... and she thanked her ex, Ye ... YAY!!!

Last year's winner, Tracee Ellis Ross, presented the award to KK, who wore a skin-tight black jumpsuit, gloves and sunglasses -- as she sauntered down a long runway to accept.

The Kardashian was full of gratitude and said she felt honored to receive the award from Tracee. But, the nod to her estranged husband, Kanye, was by far the most interesting moment.

Kim said she felt inspired by so many people. But, she made sure to give her ex all his flowers ... "To Kanye," she said, "for really introducing me to the fashion world"

Kim explained she started off as a closet organizer and a stylist, so getting the honor felt like a "pinch-me moment" ... "I fell in love with fashion and I'm so inspired by so many people but again, this is like a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things and take a risk."

It's pretty amazing ... Kim went from working behind the counter at the Dash store to launching her shapewear brand, Skims, which was valued at over $1 billion. And, of course, there's her beauty brands -- KKW BEAUTY and KKW Fragrance.

Balenciaga is clearly her thing ... you'll recall her all-black jumpsuit, gloves, and long pleated train that covered her from head to toe at the MET Gala -- yes, even her face.

Elon Musk may have just gotten Swifted, because his ex has just released a song trashing him as a BF.

Grimes' song, "Player of Games," doesn't mention Elon by name, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist like him to figure it out.

The song references gaming -- something Elon apparently loves. The lyrics go ... "I'm in love with the greatest gamer, but he'll always love the game, more than he loves me."

Their 3-year relationship ended back in September -- and she goes on ... "Sail away, to the cold expanse of space. Even love couldn't keep you in your place."  Seems like that's the giveaway!

Elon didn't call it a clean breakup ... he said they have "semi-separated." They did attend the Met Gala back in September, but it's unclear if this was before or after the breakup.

They both seem committed to co-parenting their 1-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii Musk.

After a Halloween away from the office, TMZ is back together in person for another spooktacular day ... sharing costumes and some scary good times!!!

It's definitely been the year of Britney, and lots of costumes in the office reflected the singer's many eras ... from "Toxic" to "Slave 4 U." There was also some politics, billionaires and even Kim K at The Met Gala mixed in.

Jake Paul, Jeff Bezos, AOC, Run-D.M.C., Dog the Bounty Hunter, Kanye West, Morgan Wallen, Olivia Rodrigo and Bernie Sanders were all fair game ... and it wouldn't be Halloween 2021 without a 'Squid Game' costume.

Halloween falls on a weekend this year, so be sure to check the website for plenty more celeb looks, haunted parties and holiday treats.

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Justin Bieber got "The Simpsons" treatment for this year's Balenciaga show ... with the cartoon nailing some of the celebs' iconic looks.

The FOX animated show teamed up with the fashion powerhouse to deliver a special 10-minute episode for Paris Fashion Week Saturday ... which even featured Homer and Marge Simpson wearing Balenciaga get-ups of their own.

The episode pokes fun at French fashion culture ... with designers puffing cigarettes, eating escargot -- which Homer takes a liking to -- and insane clothing prices.

During one scene, Homer hit the runway in a very much Kanye-style jacket while cartoon versions of Anna Wintour, Kim, Kanye and Justin Bieber -- who had his own Balenciaga campaign this year -- sat front row.

While Kim and Kanye didn't attend the premiere of the episode in Paris, Kim has indeed worn only Balenciaga for the past few weeks. Her "wedding dress" at Kanye's "Donda" event was Balenciaga, she wore it at The Met Gala from head-to-toe and even wore it during a recent double-date night with Kanye and friends at NOBU.

Cardi B pretty much accounted for every color in the rainbow as she hit up the Balenciaga fashion show Saturday in Paris.

Cardi and Offset caused some serious rubbernecking as they made their entrance during Paris Fashion Week.

Cardi wore an enormous hat and a super colorful trench coat covered in newsprint. And, check out the bling!

There were a bunch of celebs and supermodels on hand, but Cardi undeniably stole the show ... something that happens quite a bit.

Cardi, who gave birth just last month, is clearly back in action ... and, dare we say, looking great.

Balenciaga has cleverly engineered a publicity campaign that has put the company squarely in the zeitgeist of fashion. In addition to Cardi becoming the face of the brand, Kim Kardashian -- clearly with the help and influence of one Kanye West -- made headlines with her getup at last month's Met Gala.

The Kardashians are coming back for more reality TV ... and here's the first look at their new show on Hulu.

Kim, Khloe and Kourtney started filming their new show Tuesday at Lucky's in Malibu, and they were dressed to the nines.

It looks like Kim's keeping in line with her look from the Met Gala ... dressing in all black and covering most of her face. Meanwhile, Kourtney's showing some cleavage in a yellow top and blue jeans, and Khloe looks like she's ready for autumn in the Bu.

As you know, the Kardashians are moving on to the streaming service after 14 years and 20 seasons filming "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" for traditional TV.

The Kardashians have a multi-year deal with Hulu to produce new content all over the world, with their debut set for later this year, but details on the show have been scarce ... so it's interesting to see the first day of filming.

Lil Baby's celeb jeweler is doing more than just profusely apologizing to the rapper for selling him a fake Patek Philippe watch ... he's taking costly action so it never happens again.

Gabriel Jacobs from Rafaello & Co. tells TMZ ... moving forward he's going to hire a professional watch authenticator who will inspect all the watches he sells ... to avoid another fake watch disaster.

What's more ... Gabe tells us anyone who has purchased jewelry from him can return and have it authenticated to assure them the jewelry's legit. He says he has no issue whatsoever with that in wake of the fallout from selling Lil Baby a fake Patek Philippe watch for $400k.

As we reported ... Lil Baby posed with the watch before hitting up the Met Gala but got pissed off after watch enthusiasts alerted him that the 40th-anniversary Patek Philippe Nautilus watch was a fake.

Rafaello & Co. issued a lengthy apology, copped to the mistake, refunded the dough and gifted the rapper 4 diamond rings. Gabe, who says he quickly righted the wrong because he wants to continue working with the rapper, doubled down a week later saying his mistake was not doing enough due diligence.

In fact ... Gabe says he showed the watch in question to 2 other dealers who also couldn't tell the Patek Philippe was a fake. That said ... Gabe insists it was an honest mistake.

He says he has NOTHING to gain by selling a budding rapper a fake watch. He also told us he gave Baby $3.5 million worth of jewelry to wear at the Met Gala ... so what's to be gained by selling him a fake watch?

Elon Musk and Grimes are calling it quits ... they've broken up after 3 years of dating.

The SpaceX and Tesla honcho says he's "semi-separated" from Grimes ... though he says they are still on good terms and are co-parenting their 1-year-old son, the famously named, X Æ A-Xii Musk.

Elon reportedly told Page Six he and the Canadian singer still love each other and they are all living under the same roof, albeit in different rooms.

The former couple made a public appearance together at the Met Gala earlier this month, as well as back in 2018. It's unclear what exactly led to the split.

It's possible their careers are getting in the way -- Elon's busy running tech empire, which requires lots of travel to Texas and Europe, and Grimes is working in L.A. as a judge on the new FOX show, "Alter Ego."

As we reported ... Grimes gave birth to their baby boy in May 2020.

It's that time of the year again -- "The Masked Singer" is on a roll ... and wouldn't ya know it, there might be Kardashian clout among the contestants. You heard it here first, folks.

Production sources tell TMZ ... somebody in and around the Kardashian empire will be all costumed up for this season from head to toe, and if that manifests like we're hearing ... they'll be singing their heart out as part of next week's Group B premiere.

Kiiiinda makes you wonder if Kim K was on to something last week at the Met Gala ... or perhaps telegraphing what's to come on the big stage. She herself was fully covered in something very similar. 😅

Anyway, we know what you're thinking -- the Kardashian clan is pretty damn big, so it could literally be anybody. True ... but you gotta figure that if it's any one of the sisters (sans Khloe and Kendall, who are tall AF) the costume they get stuffed in might match that height.

One person we're sure it WON'T be is ... Caitlyn Jenner. She showed up last season as the Phoenix, and got the boot relatively early. So, yeah ... they ain't gonna be double-dipping there. It's gotta be someone else entirely -- only question is ... who???

Oh and FWIW, we've learned that one of the BEST singers this season will be unmasked in the first few weeks ... in what many backstage are calling one of the biggest upsets ever.

Lil Baby needs to bend his ear for a minute ... celeb jeweler Ben Baller's offering sound advice on how the rapper can avoid another fake Patek Philippe watch fiasco.

We got Ben out in WeHo Tuesday morning to get his take on the "Drip Too Hard" rapper dropping $400,000 for one of the most luxurious watches in the world ... only to find out it was a total fake.

Ben -- who has done sick bling work for the likes of Elon Musk, Kid Cudi and A$AP Rocky, to name just a few -- says it all comes down to building relationships. How, specifically?

The celeb jeweler tells us Lil Baby's best bet is to hit up Patek Philippe authorized dealers on and buy small, establish yourself as a loyal client and build your way up.

For the uninitiated ... Lil Baby was hyped about copping the 40th-anniversary Nautilus Patek Philippe watch. Problem was ... after posting a pic on Instagram ahead of his arrival at the Met Gala, watch aficionados realized -- and alerted Lil Baby -- his watch was a fake.

The rapper was furious ... to the point he publicly called out the jeweler who sold him the watch, Rafaello & Co. The jeweler has since admitted it sold the rapper a fake by mistake.

The company also issued a public apology, gave Lil Baby a full refund and gifted him 4 diamond rings "as a token of our sincere apologies."

That's cool and all ... but Ben Baller's other big advice for Lil Baby -- never, EVER buy a Patek Philippe from a jeweler. The watch game right now is so insane ... there's only one place you'd wanna go to spend this kind of money for a luxurious watch.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Met Gala dress looks like a carbon copy of one designer's own brand -- at least according to the designer, but she doesn't want a fight ... just a collab.

An IG user who goes by the Velvet Bandit posted photos of AOC in her "Tax the Rich" dress stacked up against some artwork she claims to have designed ... and says something looks a little too familiar. Specifically, she's talking about the font and typeface of the words themselves.

VB writes, "@AOC stepped out at the Met Gala wearing a dress designed by @aurorajames that looks hella similar to my design. 😳"

Velvet continues by saying her own "Tax the Rich" thing went viral on TikTok after putting her work up all around Sausalito, CA, and she adds ... "This dress bears the same likeness as my handwriting." Sounds ominous, but she simmers down.

The street artist doesn't seem particularly litigious ... saying she admires both AOC and the designer of her dress, Aurora James, and would like nothing more than to work with them.

She says she's a lunch lady and a single mom, and doesn't have the time or influence to try to reach out to famous people for gigs.

Instead, she's asking people to tag and/or share this with the congresswoman and her designer, adding ... "They need a female street artist working on their team, dontcha think? It would be an honor. Obviously they have fabulous taste." Well ... (de)escalated quickly. 😅

Here's some news that might be a punch in the gut to fans of Justin and Hailey Bieber hoping they were expecting their first child -- they're not.

As you may have heard ... the Biebs sparked major pregnancy rumors this week when he placed his hand on Hailey's tummy -- albeit just for a second -- as the couple was posing for pics at the Met Gala.

This of course led to Internet sleuthing and speculation Hailey's expecting and this was JB's way of announcing it, but sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... she's not pregnant, and it was just an innocent pose.

We're told the couple's appearance at the star-studded event was a first for them, and it served a dual purpose -- they were also there celebrating their wedding anniversary.

TMZ broke the story, Justin and Hailey wed at a courthouse in 2018, and had a blowout wedding in South Carolina in 2019, and while they're going strong ... our sources say there's no baby Bieber on the way just yet.

The Met Gala chef curator is defending the quality of the food served at the ritzy shindig ... this after Keke Palmer posted pics of the grub that seemed reminiscent of the Fyre Festival.

Marcus Samuelsson -- the restaurateur/chef who helped select the 10 up-and-coming chefs who created the Met Gala menu -- tells TMZ ... for starters, yes, Keke's picture is in fact some of what was served at the $30k-$50k per ticket soiree.

As for Keke's plate, Marcus tells us it was barley topped with roasted mushrooms, tomato salad with corn and zucchini slices. Marcus says food, like anything, is a matter of taste, and it tasted plenty good.

Marcus says the 3-course meal was delicious ... and the feedback he got has been incredible.

Marcus, in collaboration with Bon Appétit, selected and then challenged 10 NY chefs to create a sustainable, plant-based menu ... hence all the fruits and veggies. However ... Keke's pic, which was displaying the entree, had just about everyone talking smack on social media.

One person wrote, "This was clearly a 'eat before you get there' type of thing." Someone else said, "They feeding y'all like it's Fyre Festival."

Some of the fare included 6 hors d'oeuvres and a watermelon pumpkin salad.

Dessert included an apple topped with chocolate mousse ... because this event's about as boujee as it gets.

Nicki Minaj is fiercely defending herself after letting it be known she won't be getting the COVID-19 vaccine until she's done enough research.

Nicki responded to tweets practically all of Monday night after she'd posted an explanation for her absence from the Met Gala, which required all guests to be vaccinated. She declared, if she gets vaccinated "it won't [be] for the Met. It'll be once I feel I've done enough research. I'm working on that now."

Then, about 20 minutes later, she dropped the tweet that still has social media fired up today. Nicki said her cousin in Trinidad won't get the vaccine cuz "his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen." She added that "his friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied."

Nicki isn't pleased that anecdote is the one grabbing headlines. She's pointing out her critics are purposely ignoring her prior tweets encouraging people to get vaccinated, wear masks and be safe.

She also shared a screenshot of news headlines and called them all lies. Nicki wrote, "3 lies in a row from huge news platforms. I cited my young child as why I didn’t want to travel. But notice how NONE of them mentioned that? Ask yourself why that was."

Nicki also shared that she came down with COVID while preparing for this year's VMAs ... and she feared passing it to her son, who was born last September.

She tweeted, "Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week? A baby who is only used to his mama?"

Apparently, Nicki's now satisfied with her research -- she relented she will eventually get the vaccine, because she'll have to travel and go on tour.