It goes without saying that celebrities go all in when it comes to prepping for the annual Met Gala. Hollywood’s brightest work with teams of designers to craft intricate outfits that will be seen by people around the world. In the case of Kim Kardashian, she chose to go with a vintage Marilyn Monroe dress. The reality TV star seemed very passionate about donning the pristine outfit once worn by the iconic Hollywood starlet. In fact, Kardashian dieted and lost weight in order to fit into her attire.
The Bob Mackie dress was originally worn by Marilyn Monroe (whose set to be the topic of an NC-17 rated biopic) in 1962, when she sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy. It was Kim Kardashian’s own idea that she would wear it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s major event this year. After trying on the dress for the first time, Kardashian apparently had to do a little bit of work, though. While speaking with Vogue at the event, the media mogul revealed her dieting process, which involved her losing more than 10 pounds:
I tried it on, and it didn’t fit me. And so I looked at them and said, give me like three weeks. And I had to lose 16 pounds down today to be able to fit this. It was such a challenge, it was such a role. I was determined to fit it. … I don’t think they believed me, I don’t think they believed I was going to do it.
If there’s anything we know about Kim Kardashian, it’s that when she puts her mind to something, she aims to see it through. It was that sense of determination that helped her achieve billionaire status and pass her baby bar exam. Many would agree that she more than succeeded when it came to fitting into the dress. Check out the look for yourself:
In an Instagram post, the Kardashians star spoke further about getting to wear Marilyn Monroe’s dress, which is adorned with over 6,000 hand-sewn crystals. The star has worn some intricate pieces in the past (even a gravity-defying dress), but this one seems to be particularly special to her. Later in the post, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to wear it:
Thank you Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for giving me the opportunity to debut this evocative piece of fashion history for the first time since the late Marilyn Monroe wore it. I am forever grateful for this moment.
Kim Kardashian was joined at this year’s Met Gala by her mother, Kris Jenner, and siblings Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie. Also with her was boyfriend Pete Davidson, who missed out on the red carpet premiere of the famous family’s new Hulu show just a few weeks ago. With the entire group in attendance, there’s a good chance parts of the event could appear on a future episode of their reality show. Fans may not mind getting a deeper look at their Met experience as well as the fitness routine that helped Kim get into Marilyn Monroe’s famous threads.
The Kardashians drops episodes on Thursdays, and they’re available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
