Megyn Kelly. (Getty)
Megyn Kelly chatted with Russian president Vladimir Putin before her much touted interview with him, but it was her off-the-shoulder blue velvet dress that had people talking.
Megyn Kelly rocks an off-the-shoulder velvet dress for her interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin. t.co/r940l1xpc5
Some photos have been released of the sit down Kelly had with Putin before the interview, and they show Kelly wearing a $990 blue velvet off-the-shoulder dress with a large slit in the skirt as she speaks with Putin at a table. That has some already criticizing Kelly’s choice of attire as inappropriate for the occasion.
NBC released video of Kelly with Putin:
EXCLUSIVE: NBC News’ @megynkelly joins Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi ahead of tomorrow’s International Economic Forum in Russia.
One woman wrote on Twitter, “Who dressed her? She looks like she is going to homecoming in 1987. Velvet off the shoulder dress to talk to Putin?? Stop just stop.”
As Entertainment Tonight put it, the “chat” also included India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “She rocks an off-the-shoulder blue velvet dress featuring a slit in the skirt. She completed the look with a pair of open-toe black high heels,” ET wrote of Kelly.
“At state dinner party at Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg with Russian President Putin and Indian PM Modi. More tonight @NBCNightlyNews,” Kelly tweeted.
Megyn Kelly Wears $900 Velvet Dress…
Kelly’s blue velvet dress is by designer Yigal Azrouel. It sells for $990 on the Saks Fifth Avenue website, which says the color is desert blue, and the dress is called a “cold shoulder velvet dress,” probably because the shoulders are entirely bared except for spaghetti straps.
UK Daily Mail made sure to note that Kelly paired the dress with “massive” platform velvet heels.
Some would say focusing on Kelly’s attire is wrong; others would say that if Kelly didn’t want people to focus on her attire, she probably shouldn’t choose something as daring and unique as an off-the-shoulder blue velvet dress for a chat with Vladimir Putin.
Kelly, of course, has been a lightning rod since her presidential debate questioning and subsequent feud with Donald Trump. The Putin interview comes as questions continue to swirl about alleged Russian hacking to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
The photos were released in advance of the actual interview, which wasn’t scheduled to occur until Friday, June 2.
Kelly tweeted a photo of the meeting that said she was at a state dinner party.
At state dinner party at Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg with Russian President Putin and Indian PM Modi. More tonight @NBCNightlyNews
Here’s another photo of the garb:
Kelly wore a more sedate tan trench coat when she appeared on the Today Show to tout the upcoming Putin interview.
Things are looking up in St. Petersburg – the rain stopped…& I will interview President Putin on Friday.
NBC reported that Kelly also has been interviewing Russians about their views of the United States, and she was scheduled to interview Putin on June 2. The chat in the velvet blue dress came before the actual interview.
The Putin interview airs on Sunday, June 4.
Just learned this morning Vladimir Putin will sit down one-on-one with me tomorrow after the forum. Exclusive interview Sunday 7/6c on NBC
According to UK Daily Mail, “Kelly was later photographed walking through the lobby of her hotel with Noah Oppenheim, the president of NBC News, and a man who appeared to be former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg.”