Met Gala 2022 Kim Kardashian dyes hair platinum blonde making a grand entrance

Kim Kardashian made a grand entrance to the Met Gala in classic movie star-style on Monday, wearing an iconic dress worn by Marilyn Monroe as she arrived with boyfriend Pete Davidson in tow. 

But squeezing her famous curves into the historic frock was no easy feat, as the 41-year-old reality star revealed she forced herself to lose 16lbs in just three weeks in order to make it fit.  

It had already been rumored that Kim would be wearing the famed outfit, which Marilyn wore when she sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy in 1962, causing quite the scandal at the time. 

Meanwhile, SNL funnyman Pete, 28, looked dapper in a classic black suit, skinny tie, designer shades, and finally ditched the Vans sneakers for a pair of smart shoes. The comedian also ensured he was looking his best on the red carpet by prepping his skin with products from Olehenriksen – including the brand’s Banana Bright Sun-Kissed Self Tanner and Makeup Primer to achieve a red carpet glow. 

Marilyn’s glittering beaded gown was designed by Jean Louis, and has been on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in Orlando, FL, after they bought it from Julien’s Auction for $4.81million. 

‘This is Marilyn Monroe’s dress. It’s sixty years old,’ Kim told LaLa Anthony on the red carpet. ‘I had this idea to put it on and try it on. They came with armed guards and gloves. I tried it on and it didn’t fit me. I had to lose 16lbs.’

‘I was determined to fit into it. I did it. I dyed my hair blonde. I haven’t eaten carbs and sugar in three weeks.’ 

It was also revealed that Kim only wore the dress for a matter of minutes, as she changed into a replica of the dress once she had walked the red carpet, to make sure it wasn’t damaged inside the Met Gala party.  

Marilyn – who died at 36 from a drug overdose in 1962 – is said to have paid $1,440 for the custom piece to the designer, and it holds the record for the for the most expensive dress sold at an auction, making it one of the most expensive dresses in the world. 

Legend has it that the garment was so tight, Marilyn had to be sewn into the dress prior to her performance for the President.

Kim had the same struggle when she discovered the dress didn’t fit her, and began to cry when she learned that the dress could not be altered. 

The ex-wife of Kanye West told Vogue how she went on a ruthlessly strict diet deadline in order to slim down and wear the dress to the Met. 

‘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,’ she told the outlet. ‘I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.’

Marilyn’s unique hourglass figure and exact measurements have been debated for decades, but one dress maker claimed she was 5’5″ tall, with a 35″ bust, 22″ waist, and 35″ hips. Her bra size was said to be 36D. 

Kim once said of her own measurements: ‘I am a size 27 jeans… My measurements are 38, 26, 39. But remember I am 5’2″ and 1/2 and everyone carries their weight in different places.’

Kim is said to have left her hotel on Monday covered up in a dressing gown, and had barricades set up outside of her hotel to make sure no one saw the outfit before her red carpet appearance.

When she got to the Met Gala, there was a secret dressing room set up for her near the steps where a conservationist from Ripley’s met her to help fit the dress, who was wearing special gloves.

Kim even said that she didn’t wear any body makeup, as she usually would do at such an event, in order to preserve the dress.

‘I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history,’ she told Vogue. ‘I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it.’

It was also revealed that once Kim climbed the steps at the Met, she then changed into a replica of the dress, that is also owned by Ripley’s, so she could enjoy the evening without worrying about getting the garment damaged.

The Kardashians star said she had to practice walking up the stairs in preparation for wearing it at the benefit.

In a wide-ranging interview, Kim noted that the idea to wear the dress came to her 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,’ she added.

Keeping the surprise under wraps, despite the fact it was already rumoured to be her choice of outfit, sister Kourtney Kardashian let slip earlier that Kim got ready in a ‘secret dressing room’ ahead of the event.

She also revealed that it took her 14 hours to bleach her hair for the occasion. 

Talking about the translucent look of the dress, that is embellished with over six thousand crystals, Kim said: ‘Nowadays everyone wears sheer dresses, but back then that was not the case.’

She added: ‘In a sense, it’s the original naked dress. That’s why it was so shocking.’

‘Marilyn looked amazing and accomplished exactly what she intended to. Fox Studios would not let her wear anything too revealing in films, because of the previous nude calendar scandal.’

‘And she didn’t really care, because she had already been fired. Her figure was at its peak, the dress was a classic shape of fashion at the time.’

Kim’s appearance was certainly a refreshing change from last year’s event, where she wore a one-of-a-kind blackout Balenciaga gown that completely obscured her face.

That look divided opinion at the time, with some slamming it as ‘distasteful’ and comparing the outfit to a burka. 

It’s not the first time Kim has gone blonde, after revealing in 2018 that she bleached her hair as a wedding anniversary ‘gift’ to her ex-husband Kanye West back in 2018. 

‘Kanye’s favorite is blonde, so I did it for our anniversary,’ she said at the time. 

She also previously bleached it three times in three weeks in 2015 for an appearance at Paris Fashion Week, and was spotted some time later with her battered locks looking frazzled as a result. 

It has been a busy weekend for the mother-of-four, who took boyfriend Pete as her guest to the White House Correspondents Dinner over the weekend, making it their red carpet debut as a couple. 

They looked stylish together as they arrived at that event on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, is considered by many as the ‘Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets.’

Fashion’s biggest night is traditionally held the first Monday in May to raise money for the Costume Institute in New York City, with last year’s event moved to September due to the pandemic.

This year’s dress code is ‘gilded glamour’ to match the theme of ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion,’ a continuation of last year’s ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.’

Tickets for the glitzy event can reportedly cost up to $35,000 apiece, while prices for a table range from $200,000 to $300,000, with last year’s bash raking in a whopping $16.4 million for the Met’s Costume Institute.

Regina King, power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Lin-Manuel Miranda are hosting this time, taking over from Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka.

This will be Miranda’s first time as a Met Gala co-chair (and guest) but he was originally intended to co-host the 2020 edition before the pandemic forced its cancellation.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is once again supervising the benefit as chairwoman, a position she’s held since 1995. Her fellow honorary co-chairs are designer Tom Ford and Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

As usual, the sartorial theme comes from the exhibit the gala launches: ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion,’ which is the second of star curator Andrew Bolton’s two-part show exploring the roots of American style.

This exhibit will showcase some lesser-known designers, and also some top film directors, including Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, host King, and last year’s Oscar winner Chloé Zhao.

Bolton said eight directors will create what he called ‘cinematic vignettes’ in the period rooms of the American Wing of the museum.

Similar to the September event, there will be 400 guests this year, lower than the pre-pandemic highs of 500-600 attendees.

The other four are Ford, the celebrated fashion designer who’s also an acclaimed film director, Janicza Bravo (Zola), Julie Dash (Daughters Of The Dust) and Autumn de Wilde (who directed the Jane Austen adaptation Emma. and is also a photographer).

The first part of the exhibition will remain on display in the rooms of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, along with the second part, until September 5.

More than half the pieces in the opening exhibition will be rotated out and garments from designers not yet featured will go on display.

The Met Gala is a huge money-maker for the museum, and provides the Costume Institute with its main source of funding.