"I understand how much this dress means to American history," the reality star said.
Kim Kardashian is addressing recent claims that she damaged Marilyn Monroe’s dress while attending the Met Gala in May. Speaking with Hoda Kotb and Samantha Guthrie during her Tuesday (June 21) appearance on TODAY, the beauty and SKIMS mogul explained her thought process behind wearing the dress — which Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, who owns the dress, allowed — and why there was no way for her to degrade the quality of the iconic garment while wearing it on the fashion event’s red carpet.
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Kardashian said that she wanted to wear Monroe’s dress because she felt it fit the theme of the gala (“Gilded Glamour”) and to give spectators a chance to experience the gown in a new light. “I respect [Monroe]. I understand how much this dress means to American history, and with the [Met Gala] theme being ‘American,’ I thought, ‘What is more American than Marilyn Monroe singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the President of the United States?’” she said.
The reality star continued, “It was such a process. 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 three minutes, four minutes, and then I changed at the top of the stairs.”
Kotb then asked Kardashian about the claims of the dress being “ruined” after she wore it.
“No … Ripley’s [and I] worked together so well,” the 40-year-old replied. “There were handlers and gloves that put it on me.”
Ripley’s also dispelled rumors of Kardashian damaging Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress via Instagram, sharing a 2017 report about the garment’s condition, which noted “a number of seams are pulled and worn,” and that “there is puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes” in addition to other damaged areas of the gown. “Kim Kardashian wearing the dress has been hotly contested, but she did not personally damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala,” the museum said in the June 16 post.
Watch Kardashian talk about wearing Monroe’s iconic dress for the Met Gala below.
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