The rumors were true: Kim Kardashian did in fact wear Marilyn Monroe's dress to the 2022 Met Gala. The reality star turned heads on the red carpet alongside boyfriend Pete Davidson in the famous vintage Jean Louis design that Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in 1962. The dress sold at an auction in 1999 for over a million dollars and was purchased over a decade after for $4.8 million dollars at Julien's Auctions in 2016. It was later acquired by Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.
According to TMZ, Kardashian's red carpet moment almost didn't happen. The museum first denied her request to wear the gown in an effort to preserve the almost 60-year-old style but eventually acquiesced. To avoid damage, Kardashian wore the actual look for photos then changed into a replica for the rest of the night.
In fact, Kardashian took great care to preserve the garment even as she got dressed. "First, she left her hotel in a dressing gown with barricades set up outside to obscure the view of any waiting paparazzi," Vogue reports. "She then arrived at a small fitting room by the Met Gala steps that was especially organized for the occasion. There, a conservationist from Ripley's was on hand to assist her in white gloves."
"I'm extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history," Kardashian added. "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."