Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian Gene Kornman/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stephen Lovekin/BEI/Shutterstock
The debate surrounding Kim Kardashian’s 2022 Met Gala look continues. Bob Mackie, who sketched Marilyn Monroe’s infamous “Happy Birthday” dress, has made it clear he isn’t happy the KardashiansStar borrowed the gown earlier in the month for the fundraiser.
“I thought it was a big mistake,” the designer told Entertainment Weekly. “[Marilyn]A goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just amazing. Nobody photographs like that. It was made for her. It was made for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.”
Kardashian, 41, made waves at the New York City event on May 2 when she stepped out in the 1962 gown Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to then-President John F. Kennedy. The dress, which was designed by Jean Louis — who Mackie worked for as an assistant at the time — was loaned to the Skims founder by Ripley’s Believe or Not! Kardashian was allowed to wear the dress but only for a limited time by Ripley’s Believe or Not! She then switched to a replica.
”There are all the issues with the actual preservation of the dress and things like oxygen can affect a dress,” Turner Classic Movies host Alicia MaloneWho is promoting the Follow the ThreadSeries with Mackie, filmed EW. “Usually, these outfits are kept very much in controlled environments and we see that with the Met. The Costume Institute is very careful with historic items. It was therefore quite alarming that she was allowed to wear it. I personally wish she wore a replica instead of the real thing.”
Malone added that you “can draw many parallels between Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian,” but referred to the reality star’s decision to wear the dress as a PR stunt.
“Marilyn Monroe was someone who also loved to create sensation, as she did with that naked dress. Also, they are women who have changed the ideal beauty of the moment,” the host said. “Marilyn Monroe, when she came in, her curves became very popular during the 1950s. Many young women want to be like Kim Kardashian. For better or worse, she’s changed the ideal body shape for women.”
Kardashian’s Met look caused controversy from the start when she admitted that she dropped 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into the dress.
“It was this or nothing,” she told VogueBefore the Met. “[In the weeks leading up to the Met Gala]I would wear a sauna suit two times a day, run on the treadmill, cut out all sugar and carbs, and eat only the freshest vegetables and protein. I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.”
Kardashian also made a point to tell the magazine that she was “extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history,” explaining, “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. Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs.”
The Hulu personality has yet to directly address the backlash surrounding her Met Gala appearance, but she shared a cryptic Instagram Story “teachable” moments earlier this month.
