'I’m a shape shifter’: Kim Kardashian recalls how Ripley's refused to let her wear Marilyn Monroe dress
In the latest episode of Hulu's ‘The Kardashians’, Kim Kardashian boasted that she is a "shape shifter" who can "squeeze into anything" as she donned Marilyn Monroe's famous "Happy Birthday Mr President" dress for the Met Gala. While Kim was able to fit into the replica, she was enraged when Ripley's Believe It Or Not chose to drop off the plan after she couldn't fit into the original. It eventually led the reality star shed at least 10 pounds in order to fit into the delicate 1962 dress at Met Gala.
The actual dress which was bought by Ripley's Believe It Or Not for an astounding $4.8 million in 2016, a record price for a dress, was not worn by the 41-year-old reality personality until after she had first tried on a duplicate of the garment. When Kim met with fashion editor and stylist Carlos Nazario—whom Kim claims she met while working on her Vogue cover—the notion of wearing Marilyn's outfit is the first thing she brought up. “So I always love seeing what's out there and building connections and relationships, so we're doing a little style-up,” she said. She informed Carlos that she had no plans to attend the annual Met Gala “because it was like, how do you top last year with Balenciaga? It was such a moment,” making fun of the fact that she didn't consider skipping a Met Gala when she wasn't invited.
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“It's scary and exciting to do this all by myself. This is a big deal for me,” Kim said in the episode, referring to the fact it was her first Met Gala without her ex Kanye West styling her. “This is like a big deal for me. The Met is so important to me. Honestly, I wasn't even invited until I went with Kanye, so I am so excited just to do my own vision this year. I had this thought and I was like what is more American than Marilyn Monroe? When she sang Happy Birthday to JFK, who is, like, America, and I thought, where is the dress that she wore?” she told Carlos. “When I thought of this idea I immediately called Julien's Auctions, cause I knew that's who sold it,” Kim added.
“Julien's Auctions said we sold it to Ripley's Believe It Or Not and we will put you in contact with them. The conversation went amazing. They said that I can try on the dress,” she revealed as reported by Daily Mail. Kim reiterated to Carlos that it was "scandalous" since Marilyn was dressed in "a sheer nude dress," adding that it was "the first time anyone had worn a naked dress." She then displayed images of the garment to Carlos while confessing her admiration for Marilyn because she "did things her way." “She transformed herself to be this complete icon and now everyone on the planet knows who she is. Much respect.”
Later on in the episode, Kim is given a replica of Marilyn Monroe's famous gown. “The Marilyn dress is here,” Kim was seen telling her stylist Danielle Levi and tailor Samuel Ososki, adding, “it's a replica and, if this does not fit me, I can't even try the original. 'I've Googled her measurements, I'm looking at my measurements, the width of my shoulders and my body makes me like a shape shifter, I can squeeze into anything.” She continued by saying that no fashion businesses would first "trust" them before they would eventually realize, "Oh wait, she actually fits in our stuff."
“So… I don't know how to convince the guy who owns the original Marilyn dress that I'm a shape shifter. This has stretch… the original doesn't have stretch. So I've got one shot… and I just f***ing ate. The replica dress fits me and is like big on me and I thought, 'Oh my God this is perfect, I bet the fabric shrunk a little bit over time… but the dress will fit. I am one step closer to bringing my vision to life.” Kim went on to narrate that Marilyn is "so much taller than me," so she had to wear her "tallest stripper shoes" to completely pull off the outfit, she demonstrates to her stylist and tailor.
According to Danielle, in the show footage from Marilyn's now-famous performance on May 19, 1962, she had "a shawl that was dropping at one point." Kim further added, “ever since I did the Balenciaga look with the face mask and covered head to toe, it changed the way that I feel about just looking pretty on a red carpet. It's not about just looking pretty. It has to be a story, a whole vibe. And this dress is such a good story.”