Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe's famous dress at Met Gala

Kim Kardashian has had one of her most memorable fashion moments at the Met, but a comment she made on the red carpet has raised eyebrows.

Kim Kardashian has raised eyebrows with a comment she made on the red carpet at today’s Met Gala.

All eyes were on the 41-year-old billionaire at the annual fashion spectacle in New York, where she wore Marilyn Monroe’s original ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ gown from 1962.

The sheer, sparkling showstopper is owned by Ripley’s museum in Florida, which paid $6.8 million for it in 2016. Its lived at the museum in a temperature controlled room ever since, and hasn’t been worn since Monroe serenaded President John F. Kennedy all those years ago.

While it’s certainly a memorable moment for fashion, Kardashian revealed she lost a staggering 7kg in three weeks to be able to fit into it.

Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images/AFP

“I tried it on and it didn't fit me, and so I looked at them and said, ‘Give me three weeks’,” Kardashian told Vogue on the red carpet.

“And I had to lose 16 pounds (7kg) to be able to fit this. It was such a challenge.

“It was like a role. I was determined to fit it.”

The dress is worth $6.8 million. Picture: Mike Coppola/Getty Images/AFP

The mother-of-four added: “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. I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.”

Kardashian said she was so desperate to fit into the gown because she felt it perfectly embodied the Met theme this year, ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’.

“[I thought] What’s the most American thing you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monroe,” Kardashian said in an interview with Vogue magazine.

While Kardashian wore the original dress on the red carpet, the reality star revealed she had to change into a replica gown afterwards.

Pete Davidson joined Kim on the red carpet. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images/AFP

“I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it,” Kardashian added.

The Skims founder went to a whole lot of effort just to wear the gown for a few short minutes.

She left her NYC hotel completely concealed from waiting paparazzi, with assistants holding big white sheets to keep her hidden.

When she arrived at the Met, there was a small fitting room near the Met gala steps where she changed into the piece, with help from a Ripley’s staff member who was wearing white gloves.

“Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs,” she added.

Actress Marilyn Monroe wore teh dress when singing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden.

Monroe was said to have paid designer Jean Louis $1440 for the custom dress 60 years ago, with the piece based on a sketch by Bob Mackie.

Featuring 6000 crystals emblazoned on a sheer canvas, Kardashian said it was the “original” naked dress.

“Nowadays everyone wears sheer dresses, but back then that was not the case,” Kardashian said.

“In a sense, it’s the original naked dress. That’s why it was so shocking.”

Originally published as Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe's famous dress at Met Gala