I wrote a while back that I thought that Kanye West‘s stylistic influence had motivated Kim Kardashian to modify her own personal style, and when you see the two of them standing together, how similar they’ve become, visually speaking, is totally apparent. A year ago, Kim probably had half the black clothes that she has today, and I certainly don’t think she had the Hermes So Black Birkin (all black, including the hardware) that she has today. So is that good, or is it bad? He’s definitely the reason Kim’s wearing the Kanye West for Giuseppe Zanotti Sandals that she’s wearing in this photos.

Kim inarguably looks better when she’s a bit toned down, as does almost everyone, so part of me thinks that we should all thank Kanye for his positive influence. On the other hand, though, I hate to see anyone change because of (or for) a significant other, and if Kim really does love all the tight, bright, fashion-victim stuff she used to wear, then I think she should keep on wearing it and Kanye should just deal. For now, I’m choosing to believe that Kanye’s more fashion-forward style has simply inspired Kim to be more thoughtful about her sartorial direction.

Bag Kim’s Hermes Style via Hermes!

I’ve been waiting forever for our photo service to catch Kim Kardashian out and about with her new Hermes Crocodile Birkin, and the day has finally come! The agency we use hasn’t been sweating Kim as much as they usually do, so it took us a little longer to get these photos than we would have preferred, but here it is – black, reptilian, outrageously expensive. And…paired with hot pink Nike running shoes?

Yes, Kim has a think for taking her most expensive and lavish bags along with her as gym bags (we’ve seen her do it with Birkins before), but thankfully, she wasn’t headed to work out with a bag that rings up well into the five figures. Instead, our photo service claims that she was heading to a hair-removal salon, which sounds just about right. I’m still confused about one thing, though – how in the world didn’t Kim have a crocodile Birkin before this one? Lord knows she has the cash.

Bag Kim’s Birkin Style via Hermes.com!

I’m going to go ahead and put this out there: I don’t know if the graphite Celine Phantom Luggage Tote that Kim Kardashian is carrying in this post is real crocodile or fake. I know that Celine has released the Phantom in both genuine and embossed exotics, and both versions have been dark colors, and I just can’t keep Celine straight all the time. They’re too secretive.

Kim may not have graduated to crocodile Birkins yet (a fact that continues to surprise me – she can certainly afford one, and it would go perfectly with her lavish public image), and the material may look a tad fake, but I wouldn’t rule out that it might be a heavily processed real skin. I’m sure one of you guys know, though. One of you always knows. I bet Kanye West knows too, what with his Celine obsession, but he’s not returning my calls right now.

Bag Kim’s Celine Style via Kirna Zabete!

I honestly have very little left to say about Kim Kardashian‘s collection of black Hermes Birkin bags, except that perhaps the one she’s carrying in these photos is new because it appears to have a glazed finish and palladium hardware, where in the past, we’ve seen her with black Birkins that are more matte and have gold hardware. So, you know, new Birkin alert! That’s exciting.

What I’m more interested in, as I mentioned on Tuesday, is that Kim’s style seems to have become a tad more demure since she started dating Kanye. This outfit bears that out – although her pants are tight, Kim’s top is loose-fitting and fairly high-cut, not to mention very expensive-looking. The simplicity of the look is somewhat new territory for her, and although her hair is still freshly blown out and her makeup is perfect, it’s nice to see her looking a tad less obviously “styled.”

Bag Kim’s Hermes Style via Hermes.com!

Now that we’ve had several weeks (and zillions of paparazzi photos) of the Kim Kardashian-Kanye West pairing to consider, what are your thoughts? Perhaps surprisingly, I think Kim’s looked great during all of this foolishness – her clothes seem to fit better, her outfits seem to be trend-chasing in a less obvious way, her makeup is even slightly more subdued. Is it possible that Kanye’s having a positive influence on Kim? He’s very interested in fashion, after all.

Take this outfit, for example. We know that Kim loves this shape – the nipped waist and full, short skirt – but the shirting fabric and relatively demure feel is far different than the types of materials and the typical aesthetic that I’d expect, and Kim’s makeup looks fairly reasonable. The Bottega Veneta Knot Clutch is a conservative addition to the ensemble, even though Kim’s been partial to the Knot in the past. The whole thing just strikes me as simple and straightforward, whereas normally, there’d be a fur vest over the dress or something equally showy. See, I told you I like Kim and Kanye together!

Bag Kim’s Bottega Veneta Style via Net-a-Porter!

As we’ve discussed previously, the pairing of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, no matter how manufactured and publicity-driven it might be, makes me giddy with happiness on a level I can’t explain. Nevermind that the whole thing is made for TV and probably the result of an actual written contract – these two are made for each other, on a certain level. Or maybe they just deserve each other, but I guess that depends on your opinions on Kim and Kanye.

These photos of the “couple” were snapped near the Kirna Zabete and Louis Vuitton boutiques in Soho over the weekend, and I can’t help but wonder if Kim popped in to Dash, which is right around the corner, and gave the hordes of people waiting in line to get in a thrill. Yes, there are people who line up on the street in order to be granted access to the Kardashians’ boutique, which contains no actual Kardashians. They’re standing there on the sidewalk every time I go to Soho. Yes, they should all be shot into the sun. But maybe this weekend, they got to see a little bit of a show? At the very least, I’m sure they appreciated Kim’s Celine Phantom Luggage Tote in cream suede.

Bag Kim’s Celine Style via Kirna Zabete!

Why does this news make me so happy? I can’t quite say. I’m sort of ambivalent to Kim Kardashian and her travelling circus, but I may be one of the only people who still loves Kanye West. In fact, the more ridiculous and narcissistic and self-involved he gets, the more I love him. Criticizing Kanye for being a jerk is like criticizing Kermit the Frog for being green. IT’S JUST HOW HE IS, OK?

Ahem. Anyway. Part of the reason I think that Kim’s (seen here carrying a seriously sick black-on-black Chanel Classic Flap Bag) and Kanye’s potential relationship makes me so strangely happy is that it has the potential to be reality TV gold. Instead of hearing even more whining from Kim about her dumb fake marriage and fake divorce, we can see Kim and Kanye, two of the world’s most giant egos, squished into our little TV boxes. There’s not way that won’t be magic. Please appear on the show, Kanye! Please!

Bag Kim’s Chanel Style via Chanel.com!

Or at least that’s what our photo agency says is inside the dove grey Hermes Bikin that Kim Kardashian recently carried to a hair appointment in Los Angeles. I’m not sure how they know that just from the little bit of stuff peeking out the top, but I’ll take their word for it, at least to discuss the larger topic of food in bags. Do you carry any in yours?

I’m not particularly precious with my bags, but I try to only put dry foods inside them – nothing sticky or wet. I’ve never had a drink bust open in mine, but I have had the last half of a movie theater-sized box of Junior Mints get loose, and that was a sticky (but mint-scented?) mess. That was back in college, and since then, nothing more interesting than a granola bar has graced the inside of my bags, no matter the price point. Unless I’m at the airport, of course. At the airport, all bets are off and it’s every woman for herself.

Bag Kim’s Hermes Style via Hermes.com!

By now I’ve seen so many paparazzi photos of Kim Kardashian that I couldn’t be more bored with how she dresses, but every now and then, the fact that she has an incredible amount of money works in everyone’s favor and she wears something that’s either really incredible, really horrible, or some confusing combination of the two. When any of those things happen, we all win.

I’m not sure exactly where Kim’s Versace Black Leather Studded Trench falls, as far as those categories go, but it’s a really cool piece in one way or another. In fact, it seems almost too cool for Kim to be wearing it; she’s normally predictable right down to the colors that she prefers. (Or maybe I’ve just spent too much time on gossip blogs. Who knows!) It does make sense in a certain way though; after all, Donatella Versace does love a little bit of vulgarity. By pairing the trench with an Hermes Birkin, though, Kim reminded us all that she’ll never stray too far from what’s expected of her. Sartorially and otherwise.

Bag Kim’s Hermes Style via Hermes.com!

What percentage of her life do you think Kim Kardashian spends carrying Hermes Birkins through airports? That’s got to be a measurable percentage of her life, right? At least, say, 10%? It’s probably something like 33% sleep, 20% getting her makeup and hair done, 7% filming one-on-one interviews for her various reality shows, 15% riding around in the back of a black SUV, 15% either flying or carrying Birkins (but not simultaneously), and 10% doing both at the same time.

That sounds about right, I think. At this point in the Kim Kardashian Long March to Obscurity, I don’t even have to explain these photos. Kim was flying from New York to someplace else, Momager Kris hasn’t figured out a way to invent a teleporter yet, Kim was forced to walk through the airport like the rest of is plebes. She did so with a black Hermes Birkin and a relatively tame outfit. For her, anyway. It did include a knee-length fur vest, after all.

Bag Kim’s Hermes Style via Hermes.com!

At best, I’m ambivalent about Kim Kardashian and the entire Kardashian enterprise, but I have to admit that I’m a bit glad to see her back in front of the paparazzi cameras a little more as of late. She kind of disappeared (as much as a Kardashian can disappear) for a little bit after announcing her divorce was announced, and as annoying as Kim’s presence is, it’s still kind of fun to talk about what it is that she’s wearing. What doesn’t look fun, though, is wearing the pants that Kim is sporting in these photos.

The Kardashians spend their entire lives in front of cameras wearing uncomfortable things. That’s their job, basically. From six-inch stilettos to skin tight jeans with no stretch whatsoever to pencil skirts so tight that it’s impossible to walk with a normal stride, they do it all. The Kardashians could compete in the uncomfortable clothing Olympics and probably take home all three medals. But these pants that Kim is wear? Skin-tight, high-waisted and crotch-strangling? I can’t. How does she sit? These trousers honestly look so miserable that I barely even noticed Kim’s tan Hermes Birkin, and when the Birkin is the second thing I see in a photo, you know there’s a problem.

Bag Kim’s Hermes style via Hermes.com!

In case you missed it (and what could you possibly have going on that would cause you to miss this vital piece of Kardashian breaking new?!), Lamar Odom got traded to Dallas. In Kardashian terms, that means that the one who’s married to him, Khloe Kardashian, is going to be spending a considerable amount of time in Texas very, very soon. Or maybe she’ll take a page from Kim’s book and get divorced. Who knows!

By the looks of things, though, Khloe’s in it for the long haul – the long haul to Dallas, at least. She and sister Kim Kardashian were spotted out shopping together for the first time in Khloe’s new town, and they brought some great handbags to impress the locals. Khloe, of course, brought out a beautiful cobalt blue Hermes Birkin, while Kim opted for a tasteful grey Balenciaga Giant Velo. Which bag do you prefer?

Bag Kourtney’s Balenciaga Style via Barneys!