Met Gala: Full Story on How Kim Kardashian Borrowed a Marilyn Monroe Dress

Kim Kardashian was still dominating the fashion spotlight at the Met Gala in New York on Monday when she appeared. in that dressThe illusory dress worn by Jean-Louis Marilyn Monroe on May 19, 1962, when she performed “Happy Birthday” at President John F. Kennedy’s Madison Square Garden.

While controversy erupts in the coming days, with strong criticism from museum curators about the ethics of the collecting institution, which borrows some of its fashion history to wear on the red carpet. the hollywood reporter Talk to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (who owns the dress) and Julien’s Auctions (who sold it and who linked Kardashian to Ripley) for the full story of what that moment at the 2022 Met Gala was like. They also took steps to ensure the dress wasn’t damaged.

“We’ve been silent for two months and I heard Saturday that everything was confirmed,” said Darren Julien, founder and president/CEO of Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, which sold the dress in record numbers. The tax price is $4.81 million in 2016. Kardashian and her mother, Chris Jenner, are longtime customers of Julien’s Auctions: in 2019, Kardashian won a velvet jacket she once wore for Michael Jackson, which she bought a Christmas present for your daughter. , North, who was six years old at the time. “It was a fun relationship with Chris and Kim,” added Julien. “They are true fans of the auction process and are very excited when they are the winners.”

So when Kardashian wondered if the dress’s current owners would be willing to wear the historic design to the Met Gala, she reached out to Julien in late February and asked him to mediate. “The owner’s first reaction was, ‘We have a copy dress, he could wear it,’ and I said, ‘Kim is not making a replica,’” Julien recalls.

“We have people constantly calling us to borrow, and the answer is almost always no,” said Amanda Joyner, vice president of publishing and licensing for Ripley Entertainment, an Orlando-based company that manages Ripley’s Believe It or Not. ! Museums in the US and was the winner of the 2016 Monroe Dress Bid. “We were interested in hearing what Kim thought, but it was never automatic, yes. There was a lot of talk when we came up with this idea.”

Kardashian and her team held several meetings with the team at Ripley Entertainment, including company president John Corcoran. The options were strictly set, including the limited time that Kardashian wore the dress, just to walk up the carpeted stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Monroe’s dress could not be altered in any way either, and body makeup was prohibited. Earlier in the process, Kardashian also tried on a replica dress designed by Ripley Tailor after the company purchased the historic dress, primarily to gauge whether the reality star would fit the original.

The replica fit and was actually a little big. If all the criteria were met, Joyner boarded a plane in Los Angeles in late March and took the dress with her. “Among the points [agreed upon in allowing Kardashian to wear the dress] “It was that Ripley’s rep needed to keep the dress on at all times, and Kim also required that there be a woman on our team to work with him, especially since the dress must be of a personal nature,” Joiner said. .

There was only one problem: the original didn’t fit. “The replica dress was measured to the exact same size, but it’s a newer stretchy fabric and that was probably the difference,” explains Joiner, adding that Kardashian was able to wear the dress, though she said, “I didn’t feel comfortable. ” in the set you could use. “Walks or climbs stairs.”

That didn’t stop Kardashian, who asked Ripley’s team to give her a few weeks to tweak and adapt the original. On the Met Gala red carpet, Kardashian explains to co-host La La Anthony FashionLive at the Met Gala she needed to lose 16 pounds, she cut sugar and carbs from her diet for three weeks.

(This comment sparked outrage from body positive advocates, including actress Lily Reinhart, who followed her Instagram story and criticized the stars for highlighting her sudden weight loss. May 4th tweet “I say it because I don’t see enough people on the big platforms calling for toxic behavior in our industry,” he said. Kardashian Don-a-Matrix Coach Speaks TMZ On May 4, he defended his client and said he had lost weight with a balanced diet and exercise. “It’s possible to lose 20 pounds in a healthy way,” he said.)

“Kim was very determined,” adds Julien. “I don’t think he had many backups that night. She really wanted this dress to be.”

On April 23, Kardashian flew to Orlando to find out if her efforts had worked, and this time the dress fit her, though Joiner and Corcoran also asked Kardashian to climb on some dresses to see their integrity. “We still have to talk about it internally,” Joiner said. “We have to ensure that all of our needs regarding the transportation of the dress are met and that we will no longer wear the dress on the red carpet except for a moment. To that end, the Kardashian spot was created around the red carpet exclusively to replace Kardashian. After walking the red carpet, Kardashian was replaced from the original and turned into a replica she’d been waiting for as soon as she walked through the museum’s doors, adds Joyner.

Before changing clothes at the museum, Kardashian did Kardashian’s hair and makeup in a nearby hotel suite. To commemorate the moment, Ripley decorated her dressing room with a selection of Monroe memorabilia, including an icon’s makeup bag (her makeup is still inside), a 1962 Kennedy party announcement poster, and an original sketch of a created gown. by Bob Mack. , who at the time was working as a cartoonist for Jean-Louis.

Within hours of Kardashian’s powerful appearance, Joyner and Julien heard and read comments about the star wearing a historical piece. “I got some e-mails,” said Julien. Critics include Sarah Scaturo, chief curator of the Cleveland Museum of Art, former curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. “In the 1980s, a group of costume professionals came together to make the decision that a historical costume should not be worn. “So my concern is that colleagues from historical costume collections are now under pressure from important people to wear clothes,” Scaturo said. Los Angeles Times.

Joyner confirms that further reactions to the event were anticipated and discussed among other conservatives. “Our priority has always been to protect the integrity of the dress,” he said. “But we also saw it as an opportunity to reach a new generation, educate a younger audience and [Kim’s] The fan base comes at an unrecognized time in history. In that sense, we did our job. ”

Julian agrees. “He was on the red carpet in such a short time and for Marilyn Monroe’s legacy, it’s one of the best things that could have happened,” he said. “From that moment onwards, Kim will create a new generation of Marilyn Monroe fans.”

This coming Remembrance Day weekend, new and existing fans will have the chance to see the original dress in person when Ripley believes it or not! The premiere of the new dress exhibition will be held at the Museum of Hollywood. In addition to the artifacts, including a Bob Mack sketch and a Monroe makeup bag, Ripley’s showcase will also feature a shawl and used shoes (Brea de Ador with seven-inch heels, a Pleaser who lives in California) by Kardashian . To the Met Gala.