Kim
Kardashian's
decision
to
wear
Marilyn
Monroe's
iconic
1962
Jean
Louis
gown
for
Met
Gala
had
already
divided
fashion
pundits
and
now
fashion
designer
Bob
Mackie,
who
drew
the
sketch
for
the
original
dress,
has
weighed
in
on
the
topic.
Monroe
famously
sang
"Happy
Birthday" to
President
John
F
Kennedy
in
the
dress.
Fashion
historians
believe
that
the
gown
is
a
part
of
the
movie
costume
history
and
should
be
preserved
as
such,
while
Kardashian's
fans
have
hailed
the
socialite
for
her
nod
to
the
movie
icon.
"I
thought
it
was
a
big
mistake,"
Mackie
told
EW,
while
previewing
the
new
Turner
Classic
Movies'
fashion
on
film
series
"Follow
the
Thread".
Mackie
drew
the
sketch
for
the
original
gown
in
his
early
career
working
as
an
assistant
to
Jean
Louis.
He
was
only
23
when
he
did
the
sketch
for
the
gown
without
an
inkling
about
its
history
making
future.
"(Marilyn)
was
a
goddess.
A
crazy
goddess,
but
a
goddess.
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,"
he
said.
Mackie
also
echoed
historians'
concerns
that
wearing
the
gown
was
damaging
to
its
preservation
and
structural
integrity.
TCM
host
Alicia
Malone,
who
spoke
with
Mackie
as
part
of
the
network's
forthcoming
"Follow
the
Thread" also
raised
similar
concerns.
"There
are
all
the
issues
with
the
actual
preservation
of
the
dress
and
things
like
oxygen
can
affect
a
dress.
Usually,
these
outfits
are
kept
very
much
in
controlled
environments
and
we
see
that
with
the
Met.
The
Costume
Institute
is
so
careful
about
how
they
are
handling
these
historic
items.
So,
it
was
quite
alarming
that
she
was
able
to
wear
it.
I
personally
wish
she
wore
a
replica
instead
of
the
real
thing,"
Malone
said.
Kardashian,
41,
has
gone
on
record
to
say
that
she
went
on
a
crash
diet
to
lose
16
pounds
within
three
weeks
to
fit
into
the
60-year-old
dress,
which
has
been
on
display
in
Orlando,
Florida,
at
Ripley's
Believe
It
or
Not!.
She
also
dyed
her
hair
blonde
in
a
nod
to
the
movie
legend.
According
to
a
report
in
People
magazine,
the
dress
originally
cost
USD
12,000
and
was
reportedly
so
tight
that
Monroe,
36,
had
to
be
sewn
into
it
prior
to
her
performance
for
President
Kennedy
on
May
19,
1962
at
a
Madison
Square
Garden
fundraiser,
just
three
months
before
her
death.
Ripley's
purchased
the
dress
from
Julien's
Auction
in
November
2016
for
USD
4.81
million,
making
it
one
of
the
most
expensive
dresses
in
the
world.