Kardashian shared the details of how her Marilyn Monroe moment came to be with 'Vogue' Monday.
Kim Kardashian put in some serious work to make her 2022 Met Gala moment happen. The reality TV star told Vogue on the Met Gala red carpet that she lost 16 pounds to fit into the famous dress.
The idea first came to Kardashian at last year's gala and was something she was considering if she had not donned the now infamous Balenciaga t-shirt dress in September.
"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," Kardashian told her good friend, La La Anthony, about preparing for Monday's "Gilded Glamour and White Tie" themed gala. "For me, the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang 'Happy Birthday,' to JFK, it was that look."
Kardashian originally tried on a replica for size before Ripley's Believe It Or Not agreed to loan her the iconic look. It fit perfectly, but after receiving the original via private plane from Orlando, Florida, Kardashian noticed something was amiss. The dress didn't fit.
"The dress was transported by guards, and I had to wear gloves to try it on," she explained. "I always thought she was extremely curvy. I imagined I might be smaller in some places where she was bigger and bigger in places where she was smaller. So, when it didn’t fit me, I wanted to cry because it can’t be altered at all."
It was then that Kardashian made it her mission to fit into the dress. With just a few months till the gala, the SKIMS founder started a strict diet.
"I looked at them, and I said, give me three weeks," she said. "And I had to lose 16 pounds down today to be able to fit this. It was such a challenge. It was like a role. I was determined to fit it."
"It was this or nothing," Kardashian maintained. "I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein. I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict."
A month later, she visited the Ripley’s vaults in Orlando for the final fitting, and this time, the dress fit like a glove.
"I wanted to cry tears of joy when it went up," Kardashian added.
She not only made sure she fit into the dress, Kardashian completed the look with a perfectly coiffed, platinum blonde hairdo, telling the outlet that took 14 hours to dye her tresses to match Monroe's.
While the mother of four worked for months for her Marilyn Monroe moment, Kardashian only ended up wearing the Jean Louis dress for a few minutes, changing into a replica once she made it up the museum's famous stairs.
"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. "Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs."
Kardashian attended Monday night's Met Gala with her boyfriend, Pete Davidson. While the pair are no strangers to the Met Gala. However, this year is the first time the pair has appeared on the carpet together. For his part, the Saturday Night Live comedian donned a black suit and tie, which he paired with a white shirt. The pair smiled as they posed side-by-side at the event.
While the dress was booked for Monday's event, Ripley's already has big plans for it after stripping it off The Kardashians star. Monroe's iconic frock will be going on display for a limited time at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Hollywood, starting Memorial Day weekend. Visitors will be able to get an up-close look at this stunning garment and other memorabilia from Monroe, Kennedy and even Kardashian herself.
Following the big event, Kim seemed to skip the after-parties and instead treated herself to some much-deserved carbs.
For more Met Gala coverage, check out the links below!
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