Sporting pink champagne pants and a matching lace top, Kris Jenner looked dressed to woo as she stepped out in Santa Monica on May 19. Her usual escort, Corey Gamble, accompanied her, but it wasn’t him she was out to impress. That night, she was dining at Giorgio Baldi with Tommy Hilfiger and his wife, Dee Ocleppo, and an insider who’s done business with the momager says Kris had one thing, and one thing only, on her mind.
“She’s hell-bent on getting a contract for either Kendall or Kylie with Tommy, like Gigi Hadid currently has,” says the source. “There is nothing subtle about the way Kris does business. If she’s on the phone with you or taking you out, she’s not doing it for her health, she wants something.”
And if Kris gets what she wants, fashion insiders say it’s sure to disrupt the natural pecking order between the Jenner and Hadid sisters, who have so far enjoyed a largely positive friendship.
REVVING UP THE RIVALRY
Although the girls travel in the same social circles, Gigi and Bella, daughters of former model Yolanda Hadid, have a decided edge in the fashion world. Gigi, 22, is not only the face of Hilfiger’s 2017 spring ready-to-wear collection, she also designed several pieces. Her younger sister, Bella, 20, was named 2016’s “Model of the Year” by Model.com. Kendall, 21, has walked as an “angel” in Victoria’s Secret shows (as have Gigi and Bella), but Kylie, 19, hasn’t hit the runway (at 5’6″, she may be deemed too short).
In terms of social media, however, the Jenners are on top — or so it would seem. Kylie and Kendall have far more Instagram followers, but it’s been said that many may be fakes purchased to boost their numbers. “The Jenner-Kardashian sisters have around 400 million followers combined, yet they can only get 600,000 people in the 18 to 49 age group to watch KUWTK,” the insider points out. “The math simply doesn’t add up.”
Business aside, the Hadid girls’ romances are on a whole different level than those of the Jenners. “Kylie was with that deadbeat dad Tyga forever, while Bella dated The Weeknd and Gigi’s with Zayn Malik,” says the source, noting that while the Jenners have been linked to more high-profile guys lately, their relationships tend to feel manufactured: “Remember how Kris was manipulating Harry Styles to hang out with Kendall, and be photographed like they were a serious couple?”
“The bottom line is the Hadid girls have that It factor, but try telling Kris,” the insider says. “While all the girls get along really well now, that could change if Kris convinces designers to favor her daughters over the Hadids.”
She may have already succeeded, at least when it comes to Tommy Hilfiger. The night after she wined and dined the designer in Santa Monica, she was spotted again having dinner with him at Nobu in Malibu. “Kris does not give up,” says the source. “She’s determined to have her daughters in the top spot!”
