Kim Kardashian only wore Marilyn Monroe's dress to walk up the Met Gala steps — before changing into a replica — because it was so fragile
- Kim Kardashian dazzled in a dress originally worn by Marilyn Monroe at the 2022 Met Gala.
- The dress was so fragile she could only wear it to the top of the steps, Vogue reports.
Kim Kardashian wore an in iconic look originally seen on Marilyn Monroe to Monday night's Met Gala — but only to the top of the steps.
According to Vogue's Chioma Nnadi, the reality TV star wore the sparkling Bob Mackie gown from Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Orlando to ascend the Met Gala steps. She then changed into a replica in a special fitting room built for the occasion.
The publication reports that due to the fragility of the dress, Kardashian wore a dressing gown from her hotel to the event, and set up barricades outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art to block the view of any paparazzi. When she arrived, she went to the fitting room near the steps, where a Ripley's conservationist wearing white gloves was there to assist her. After she walked the red carpet with her boyfriend Pete Davidson, the SKIMS founder changed into the replica, which is also owned by Ripley's, according to Vogue.
"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," Kardashian told Vogue, adding that "Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs."
Ripley's Believe It or Not! also shared a TikTok Monday from Kardashian's fitting in Orlando last week where Kardashian said she was "so grateful" for the opportunity.
Monroe first wore the dress to sing her famous rendition of "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Kardashian is now the only other person to sport the dazzling garment after losing 16 pounds in 3 weeks to fit into it.