Kim Kardashian turns heads in fetish mask as she arrives in New York ahead of Met Gala

Never one to do things by halves, Kim Kardashian appears to have taken pandemic recommendations to "mask up" to a whole new extreme.

The 40-year-old star looked unrecognisable as she stepped out in a black leather dominatrix-inspired ensemble while arriving in New York ahead of the Met Gala.

In a post on Instagram, the mother-of-four shared two images of her head-turning look, which comprised of a fetish mask, belted trench coat and black pointed-toe heeled boots.

The reality TV favourite, who accessorised her outfit with a long black ponytail and sparkly handbag, mysteriously captioned the pictures with a lone 'knife' emoji.

Her latest social media update went down well with fans who left more than 3.7 million 'likes'.

One social media called her "BADASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS", while another wrote "WOWWW" and many left 'fire' emojis in the comments section.

However, other were a little baffled by her latest outfit – which the star tagged as being created by Georgian fashion designer Demna Gvasalia, who is creative director of luxury brand Balenciaga.

One person asked: "Is anyone else getting major American Horror Story vibes?????"

Another pleaded with her to "plz explain", while third queried "this is fashion?" and a fourth – rather reasonably – shared "Kim, can you see??"

Kanye West's former wife donned the daring look to check into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Central Park South.

Kardashian – who also recently got social media talking after she wore a veiled bridal gown to her rapper ex's album launch – is in the city to attend the prestigious Met Gala on Monday evening.

The stylish do will take place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with this year's theme being 'In America: A Lexicon of Fashion'.

In 2020, the event – which is usually held each year to launch the museum's annual fashion exhibition – was cancelled amid pandemic restrictions.

Despite this, stars including Julia Roberts still dressed up on the original date to honour the glamorous party.

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