When Kim Kardashian chose to wear Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress to the Met Gala, it seems unlikely that the socialite was expecting such a massive amount of backlash.
Not only did Kim face harsh criticism for dieting and losing about 16 pounds over a three-week period just to fit into the dress, but many thought it was disrespectful that she wore the dress at all.
Along with existing criticisms, rumors began to spread earlier this month that Kim severely damaged the iconic dress after wearing it to the Met Gala.
However, Kim says this is not the case and opened up about the details surrounding the Met Gala.
Kim Kardashian denies damaging iconic Marilyn Monroe dress
Kim took to the Today Show on Tuesday to discuss the Marilyn Monroe dress with host Hoda Kotb.
When asked to verify if she caused damage to the dress, Kim answered, “No [it’s not true]. Ripley’s [and I] worked together so well; there were handlers in gloves that put it on me.”
Kim revealed that wearing the dress “was such a process.” She added, “I showed up to the red carpet in a robe and slippers, and I put the dress on [at] the bottom of the carpet, went up the stairs … I probably had it on for 3 minutes, 4 minutes.”
Once she reached the top of the stairs, she entered a dressing room set up just for her and removed the original dress to put on the replica with the help of handlers from Ripley’s.
She noted, “I respect [Monroe]. I understand how much this dress means to American history. And with the theme [of the Met Gala] being American, I thought, ‘What’s more American than Marilyn Monroe singing happy [birthday] to the President of the United States?’”
Ripley’s also confirmed that Kim did not damage the dress, and it is in the same condition it was before she wore it.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! confirms Kim Kardashian did not damage Marilyn Monroe’s dress
As previously reported, Ripley’s released a statement last week advising that the dress was not damaged when worn to the Met Gala.
Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner, accompanied the dress on the day of the Met Gala and said, “From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in.”
Though it’s unlike that Kim will stop facing backlash for wearing the dress, it seems that the reality star did not damage the historical fashion piece.
The Kardashians is now streaming on Hulu.