Scroll To See More Images
Kim Kardashian is a Met Gala veteran at this point. The multi-faceted reality star, businesswoman and fashion icon has attended 8 Met Galas since 2013— with a new relationship, new show and new lifestyle, all eyes are on Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala look this year. What better way to show off a new era than by playing into the Gilded era with the Met Gala’s 202 theme: gilded glamour.
Kim Kardashian is no stranger to making a statement at the Met Gala. Last year, she wore a head-to-toe masked t-shirt dress by Balenciaga. The look was both memorable and meme-worthy—above all, it made a statement about the power of Kim Kardashian’s celebrity status. Without seeing her face or any part of her body, Kardashian’s silhouette was immediately recognizable. A statement that strong was certainly going to be hard to top, but Kim Kardashian managed to do it by pulling off an unprecedented fashion stunt.
The meaning of Kim Kardashian’s breed of celebrity status is often debated because she is entrenched in so many elements of pop culture. Kardashian decided to save you the effort of trying to determine a pop culture comparison by making the choice herself. Kim Kardashian has declared herself the modern-day Marilyn Monroe by fully transforming into the icon 48 hours before the event. The transformation is spot on, down to Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress to the 2022 Met Gala.
AP Newsroom.
The glittering gold dress was worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang happy birthday to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The dress is adorned with over six thousand crystals and was sold for $4.8 million at auction in 2016—the highest price any dress has ever sold for at auction. The historical piece is now stored at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum in Orlando, Florida—well, it was until Kim Kardashian slipped into it.
According to Kim Kardashian’s exclusive interview with Vogue about the dress, she spent three weeks on a strict diet to lose 16 pounds in order to fit into the gown because it couldn’t be altered at all due to its historical significance. Kardashian has given new meaning to “if the shoe fits, wear it” by molding her body to match Marilyn Monroe’s. Both women are known for their curves and are credited for literally reshaping the feminine beauty standard in America.
AP Newsroom.
Kim Kardashian understands the statement she is making by wearing the dress and worked with a conservation team to take every precaution to ensure the dress’ safety. As a result, Kardashian only wore the real dress for a few minutes on the Met Gala carpet. Once she reached the top of the Met’s steps, Kardashian changed into a replica of the dress for the remainder of the evening.
AP Newsroom.
Marilyn Monroe’s dress hitting the Met Gala red carpet wasn’t the only first for Kim Kardashian this year. Kim Kardashian showed up with her newly-confirmed boyfriend Pete Davidson. While the couple was slow to make their relationship official at first, the duo has been making appearances everywhere over the last month—the first official red carpet appearance was this past week at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and unofficially at the premiere of The Kardashians on Hulu. Without a doubt, Kardashian and Davidson’s Met Gala appearance is the most notable yet.
Not only was Kim Kardashian standing next to Pete Davidson this evening, She was also joined by all of her Kardashian-Jenner sisters on the Met Gala carpet for the first time ever. The full Kardashian family arrived at the Met Gala decked out to theme, reminding us all that they are the modern-day status symbols of gilded glamor.
