Do you remember that stunning gown Marilyn Monroe wore when she serenated John F. Kennedy back in 1962 in New York City?  Well, Kim Kardashian wore that very dress last night (May 2) at the 2022 Met Gala.

 

 

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According to Kim, “The dress was transported by guards and I had to wear gloves to try it on.  I always thought she was extremely curvy. I imagined I might be smaller in some places where she was bigger and bigger in places where she was smaller. So when it didn’t fit me I wanted to cry because it can’t be altered at all.”

 

 

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The Jean Louis-designed gown was worn by Marilyn in 1962, just months before her death.  Prior to the Met Gala, Kim tried on a replica for size which fit perfectly.  Unfortunately, when the real gown was flown in (via private plane from Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Orlando, Florida), it didn’t fit.

 

 

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Kim then went on a strict diet, losing 16 pounds in three weeks, “I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein.  I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict,” Kim told Vogue.  It was then, at the final fitting, the dress fit, “I wanted to cry tears of joy when it went up,” she said.

 

 

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Kim only wore Marilyn’s dress for minutes, just enough for red carpet photos alongside boyfriend Pete Davidson, “I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do.  Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs,” Kim said.
According to Vogue, “Kim arrived to a small fitting room by the Met Gala steps that was set up just for her, where there was a conservationist from Ripley’s waiting to assist her in white gloves.  Once she mastered the steps, Kim changed into a replica of the dress, which is also owned by Ripley’s.”

 

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The gown is so fragile, it’s handled with gloves and it has to be stored in a temperature-controlled vault.  Back in 2016, Marilyn’s dress sold at Julien’s Auctions for $4.8 million, and was later acquired by Ripley’s.  To this day, it’s the most expensive dress sold at auction.

Filed under: Kim Kardashian, marilyn-monroe, met-gala