Kim Kardashian made waves online by appearing at the 2022 Met Gala in Marilyn Monroe's dress, but The Kardashians star almost wasn't allowed to wear the gown. The 2022 Met Gala was hosted on Monday and had a theme of Gilded Glamour. While Kim didn't necessarily follow the theme, she showed up with bleach blonde hair slicked back into a tight bun and the exact dress Marilyn wore in 1962 when she sang "Happy Birthday" to then-president John F Kennedy. Kim appeared with her four sisters and the KarJenner matriarch, Kris Jenner. Kim received a lot of mixed reviews for her gown, with some calling her the modern-day Marilyn and others saying her look was disrespectful.
Kim walked the red carpet with her boyfriend, Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, who she's only recently gone public with. Kim also garnered a lot of attention for her 2021 Met Gala look, which was the first time she appeared at the event without her ex-husband Kanye West. Kim first attended the New York City-based gala in 2013 when she was pregnant with her first child, North West. The theme was Punk: Chaos to Couture, and the reality star wore a long floral gown which prompted a ton of criticism comparing her to an old couch.
While Kim garnered plenty of attention for her Marilyn dress, apparently, she originally was denied access to the legendary gown. According to TMZ, the SKIMS founder was initially told she could not wear the dress before the museum, Orlando's Ripley's Believe It or Not, which owns the gown had a change of heart. A spokesperson for the museum revealed that Kim's team reached out months before the gala to inquire about the gown and had a fitting in March. Unfortunately, Kim and the museum agreed that the 60-year-old dress didn't fit her correctly, so Ripley's denied its use.
However, Kim is not one to give up on what she wants, so The Kardashians star went back to the drawing board and showed up a month later, weighing 16 pounds less. When she tried Marilyn's dress on again, it was a perfect fit. Sources also reveal that while Kim wore the actress' real dress on the red carpet, she wore a replica gown for the party inside to conserve the historic and delicate dress. Apparently, Kim didn't get to wear the dress for free; instead, the star made two donations in Orlando, Florida, on Ripley's behalf. While the dress got its first night out in decades, it will be back on display by Memorial Day in its new home at Ripley's in Hollywood, California.
It's hard to imagine what Kim would have worn to the Met Gala if she hadn't gotten permission to borrow Marilyn's dress. Luckily, everything worked out for The Kardashians star as it always seems to. While Kim's attire may have gotten some mixed opinions, she's likely unbothered as she got her way and looked confident, flaunting the famous dress down the red carpet. Luckily for fans who wish to see the dress in person, Kim's already returned it, and it'll be back on display in no time.
Source: TMZ