Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday’ dress to the Met Gala

Making the grand finale entrance to the Met Gala, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson walked the red carpet together as Kardashian sparkled in the dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing 'Happy Birthday Mr. President'.

The red carpet cleared out entirely for Kardashian, 41, and Davidson, 28 as the two made their way up the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum.

Playing into the theme of gilded glamour, Kardashian told Vogue she had thought about wearing Monroe's famous dress to the gala but wasn't sure if it was going to fit her.

"The idea really came to me after the gala in September last year," Kardashian said. "I thought to myself, what would I have done for the American theme if it had not been the Balenciaga look? What’s the most American thing you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monroe."

Sign up for our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The dress, designed by Jean Louis, has been preserved in Ripley's Believe it or Not! museum in Orlando, Florida. Monroe originally wore the dress in May 1962.

Kim Kardashian poses with boyfriend Pete Davidson on the red carpet at the Met Gala Getty Images

Kardashian tried on the dress weeks before the Met only to find it did not fit properly but was determined to wear it. The businesswoman told Vogue she lost 16 pounds in three weeks in order to fit into the dress.

"It was such a challenge," Kardashian said. "I was determined to fit [into] it. I haven't had carbs or sugar in about three weeks. We're having pizza and donut party back at the hotel."

The 41-year-old businesswoman and lawyer showed off her newly bleached blonde hair pulled back in a sleek bun along with the dazzling dress on the red carpet.

The look is a stark contrast to Kardashian's previous Met Gala look when Kardashian wore an all-black Balenciaga look that covered her head-to-toe.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.