Kim Kardashian donned Marilyn Monroe‘s original 1962 Jean Louis gown at the Met Gala, and the results were striking.
However, not everyone was too pleased about wearing the iconic dress.
Designer Of Infamous Marilyn Monroe’s Gown Says Kim Kardashian Made ‘Big Mistake’
Fashion designer Bob Mackie made it very clear he did not like Kardashian donning the gown. Mackie was the one who drew the sketch for the original gown in his early career working as an assistant to Jean Louis.
“I thought it was a big mistake,” Mackie tells the EW while previewing the new Turner Classic Movies’ fashion on film series Follow the Thread. “[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.”
Mackie highlighted historians’ concerns that wearing the gown was very damaging to its preservation and structural integrity. He was just 23-years-old when he did the sketch for the gown under the direction of Louis, not even knowing what the dress was for besides an original design for Marilyn Monroe to wear.
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TCM host Alicia Malone, who spoke with Mackie as part of the network’s forthcoming Follow the Thread series and can be seen on CNN’s Reframed: Marilyn Monroe also was concerned for the future of the gown.
“There are all the issues with the actual preservation of the dress, and things like oxygen can affect a dress,” she reveals.
“Usually, these outfits are kept very much in controlled environments. So, it was quite alarming that she was able to wear it. I personally wish she wore a replica instead of the real thing.”
However, Malone does admit there are undeniable similarities between Kardashian and Monroe.
“You can draw many parallels between Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian in the way that they’re both very publicity savvy,” she notes.
“Of course, this was very much a publicity stunt that worked for Kim Kardashian. Marilyn Monroe was someone who also loved to create sensation, as she did with that naked dress. Also, they are women who have changed the ideal beauty of the moment. Marilyn Monroe when she came in, her curves became very popular during the 1950s. And we see a lot of young women vying to look like Kim Kardashian. For better or worse, she’s changed the ideal body shape for women.”
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