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Kim Kardashian proved her devotion to luxury as she walked down the Met Gala 2022 red carpet on Monday, May 2. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star wore the Marilyn Monroe dress from her iconic performance of Happy Birthday, Mr. President in 1962.
The sheer sparkly dress has been on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Orlando, Fla., since 2016. It was purchased by the museum for $4.81 million, making it one of the most expensive dresses ever sold.
However, the dress has more to it than once being in Marilyn Monroe's possession. It is also Kim Kardashian's look at America as a nation.
Kim understood this as she was quick to change into a replica dress as soon as she climbed up the Met stairs.
Marilyn Monroe x JFK replica dress story explained as Kim Kardashian arrives at Met Gala 2022
Kim Kardashian, 41, made an official red carpet debut with Pete Davidson at the Met Gala 2022. The debut itself could have gone viral, considering the Kardashians' influence on social media. However, the couple's official debut moment was overthrown by Kim's stunning look on the red carpet.
The TV sensation paid homage to Marilyn Monroe at the Met Gala 2022, and the big reveal by Kim Kardashian made everyone's jaw drop.
When talking with La La Anthony during a recent live stream interview, Kim revealed her inspiration behind the dress:
"The idea really came to me after the gala in September last year. I thought to myself, what would I have done for the American theme if it had not been the Balenciaga look? What's the most American thing you can think of? And that's Marilyn Monroe. For me, the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang 'Happy Birthday' to JFK, it was that look."
Even after being loaned out by Ripley, Kim Kardashian didn't wear the original dress for more than a few minutes.
"I'm extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. I would never want to sit in it, eat in it, or risk 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."
Given the fragile nature of the dress and its historical value, Kim decided not to take any chances with it. As soon as she successfully climbed up the Met's red carpet stairs, the TV personality changed into a replica of the dress to ensure the dress' security.
She left her hotel room behind barricades that obscured any view of the paparazzi. As soon as she arrived at the event, Kardashian changed into the original dress at the tiny fitting room by the Met Gala steps.
Ripley also sent a conservationist to protect the dress further. This person assisted the businesswoman in white gloves.
Kim Kardashian's look definitely played to the Gala and was instantly recognized by fans and fashion enthusiasts as she stepped out on the red carpet wearing the infamous glittering dress. She proved to be committed to the look and her homage to Marilyn as she colored her hair in a platinum blonde hue.
The socialite explained her idea behind the newest hair color in the aforementioned interview:
"I'm spending the whole day just dyeing my hair, 14 hours straight."
The dress has an infamous history and caused a stir the first time Marilyn Monroe wore it to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962. The iconic history of the dress was bound to make Kim Kardashian's Met Gala look viral in itself.
When Marilyn peeled off her white fur coat during the Happy Birthday, Mr. President performance, fans can hear the audience gasp in the film footage. The dress has a sparkling translucent look and is embellished with over 6000 crystals.
Kim Kardashian explained:
"Nowadays, everyone wears sheer dresses, but that was not the case back then. In a sense, it's the original naked dress. That's why it was so shocking."
Jean Louis originally made the dress for $1,440 for the custom piece. It became an instant hit as well as infamous overnight. It was later sold at an auction in 1990 for over $1 million with Christie's.
Later, in 2016, the dress was sold at Julien's Auction for a whopping $4.8 million and holds the record for being the most expensive dress to be sold at an auction. It has been preserved in a darkened vault at an optimum temperature for years.
It has hardly been separated from the muslin-covered dress form and had never been worn by anyone but Monroe.
However, Kim Kardashian became the first to wear it after Monroe. Before loaning the piece, Ripley called her to try on the dress, which didn't go well as the media personality couldn't fit into it.
The dress was obviously not subject to being trimmed or altered, which made Kim cry. She allegedly didn't back down, and even with only a few months to go, she decided to slim down to fit into it.
As she said in the interview, the social media star lost 16 kgs and was able to fit inside the dress a month later.
