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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Emma Wilson

Kim Kardashian slammed by Marilyn Monroe’s dress designer after wearing gown to Met Gala

Kim Kardashian has been criticised by Marilyn Monroe’s dress designer after wearing the star’s iconic gown to the Met Gala.

The late Hollywood star wore the embellished floor-length dress in 1962, when she serenaded then-US President John F. Kennedy on his birthday in New York.

Bob Mackie, who drew the original sketch for Jean Louis, has hit out at the reality star, and claimed she made a “big mistake” wearing the gown for the prestigious fashion bash earlier this month.

“I thought it was a big mistake. [Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess,” the 82-year-old told Entertainment Weekly.

Kim wore the gown to the Met Gala (Getty Images)
Marilyn originally wore the gown in 1962, just three months before her death (Bettmann Archive)

“She was just fabulous. Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress,” Bob added.

Kim’s decision to wear the crystal covered column gown was criticised by many, especially after she revealed she had to lose 16lbs in three weeks to fit into the dress, because it couldn’t be altered.

Bob Mackie also designed dresses for icons including Cher (FilmMagic)

Marilyn’s gown, which sold for $4.8 million at Julien’s Auctions in 2016 and was later obtained by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum in Florida, originally didn’t fit The Kardashians star, so she had to embark on a tough regime to slim down.

The mum-of-four only wore the dress on the red carpet, and then changed into a replica - also owned by Ripley’s - shortly after arriving at the bash.

Kim wore the dress on the red carpet (AFP via Getty Images)
But she was forced to change into a replica once she was inside the fashion bash (FilmMagic)

Bob, who was only 23 years old when he drew the sketch for Marilyn’s dress, also expressed concerns over the potential damage to the gown, after it was worn by Kim.

Kim said she was able to wear the gown after getting in touch with the owner of the auction house.

“I’m a big fan of auctions and I own several JFK pieces so I know the owner of Julien’s. He was able to connect me [with Ripley’s] and that’s how the conversation started,” she explained.

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