A Body Language Analysis Of Kylie & Timothée’s Red Carpet Debut

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet are finally red carpet official — over two years after they were first rumored to be dating. While some fans were hoping that the couple would attend the Met Gala together on May 5, Kimothée had other plans. (In Chalamet’s case, those plans involved watching the Knicks game.) Instead, the duo waited to make their red carpet debut until May 7, when they posed together while attending the David Di Donatello awards in Rome, Italy.

This may have been their first red carpet, but Jenner and Chalamet have not exactly shied away from public events since getting together in 2023. This year’s award season was full of sweet PDA moments between the couple, as they celebrated Chalamet’s multiple nominations for his role of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. The Khy founder was at his side for the Golden Globes in January and the Oscars in March. But for both events, she notably skipped the red carpet.

This time around, Jenner and Chalamet embraced the carpet. From their matching black outfits to their sweet smiles, the couple was perfectly coordinated. And according to body language expert Patti Wood, this appearance from the couple was telling — especially considering this was their first time posing together on a step-and-repeat.

Here’s an in-depth body language analysis of Jenner and Chalamet’s red carpet debut, including their sexy handhold and “impish smiles.”

They Were Posed To Perfection

This might have been Jenner and Chalamet’s first time walking the carpet together, but the couple already knew their angles. In several pictures from the night, Wood notes that they were “very posey-posey,” making their body language slightly difficult to read.

They Were Genuinely Smiling

Despite their “highly posed” photos, some snapshots were more revealing. In one picture from the carpet, Jenner and Chalamet had “genuine smiles” on their faces.

“There’s a dichotomy in this particular photo. They both had lovely open smiles that were lifted, showing real emotion. But the bodies were a little bit more posed. From the neck down, there was a lot of tension,” Wood says. For example, Chalamet’s hand was “stiff and formal” in his pocket. If he felt more relaxed, his hand most likely would have looked softer.

According to Wood, this indicates that the couple had a “desire to look perfectly pulled together.” She adds, “They wanted it very clear that they’re happy together, but they also seemed to be a little self-conscious.”

She Showed Some Tension

Wood notes that while the couple was walking together, Chalamet had a “relaxed smile.” “He was at ease here, but she showed more tension,” she says. (Reminder: They were at an award ceremony for films, so Chalamet feeling more at home there only makes sense.)

“She was holding her arms closer to her body,” Wood says. This kind of posture hints at nervousness, but there is another possibility. “It could have just been the temperature causing tighter body language.” On the night in question, the temperature in Rome was in the mid 50s to low 60s, so it’s definitely possible that Jenner was wishing she had a jacket in this photo.

He Led The Way

As the couple approached the carpet, Jenner’s shoulders were pulled back and her spine was very straight. “There was tension in her body here,” Wood says. “Her body was pulled tight and back, which says to me that she wanted to look perfect.”

Chalamet, on the other hand, seemed to be more self-assured. Wood notes how his front foot was lifted in the photo. “This is considered a gallop posture, which indicates confidence and energy.”

There is a subtle sweetness to this photo though: the way the couple held hands. “The handhold was really nice because he actively brought her with him into that gallop posture. I read it as, ‘We can do this.’”

They Had A Sexy Handhold

In unposed photos from the night out, the couple seemed more relaxed together. “Her shoulder shrug here was playful,” Wood says. “Both of them seemed to be feeling that. Note that softness around their faces. They had almost childlike expressions and impish smiles.”

The way they held hands in this photo was also interesting. “This was one of the sexiest handholds I’ve seen from them,” Wood says. “I like the way their palms were lifted together and their fingers were intertwined. It was equally balanced, without one person showing dominant power over the other.”

Fingers crossed for more “genuine smiles” and sweet photos in Kimothée’s future.