Why Bob Mackie didn't want Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Marilyn's dress - USA Today
Bob Mackie had strong feelings about Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's historic dress.
The legendary fashion designer, whose death was announced Sept. 14 at age 87, sketched the original design at the start of his career while working as an assistant to French-born costumer Jean Louis.
Monroe made American history in 1962 when she wore the nude shimmering gown during her performance of "Happy Birthday" for then-President John F. Kennedy. The dress and her serenade were never forgotten.
So much so that 60 years later in 2022, Kardashian worked with the owner of the dress, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum, to wear the bling-encrusted gown to the Met Gala, acknowledging that she slimmed down dramatically to fit into it.
Mackie called Kardashian's wearing of the skin-tight gown a "big mistake," telling Entertainment Weekly that Monroe was "a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess." He went on to describe her as "just fabulous," noting that the dress "was designed for her."
The dress, custom made for Monroe, was adorned with more than 2,500 crystals.
Mackie, who was just 21 when he drew the design, made his opinion clear: "Nobody else should be seen in that dress."
It wasn't just Mackie who expressed concern over Kardashian donning the dress. Many others, including art conservators and historians, slammed the reality star for wearing a historic archival item, citing concerns for the gown's fragility.
“I am so honored to be wearing the iconic dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in 1962,” Kardashian wrote on Instagram at the time, describing the item as "an evocative piece of fashion history."
Kardashian explained that the Met Gala's theme, "Gilded Glamour," prompted her to look into hunting down the iconic dress. “For me, the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang “Happy Birthday,” to JFK, it was that look," she told Vogue.
Kardashian wore the dress up the Met Gala steps briefly before slipping into a replica, though she was later accused of permanently damaging the gown, an expert closely familiar with the dress told USA TODAY at the time.
The garment's zipper appeared to be damaged and the famed gown showed signs of stress on its shoulder straps, as well as missing beads and sequins, according to ChadMichael Morrisette, a visual artist who curates museum and costume exhibits.
Kardashian later denied damaging the dress, saying that she wore it for less than five minutes and that handlers wearing gloves helped her get into it.
The Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum also denied the star had caused any damage to the item while wearing it.
“From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in,” Amanda Joiner, Ripley's vice president of publishing and licensing, said in a statement at the time.
Mackie was famous for his signature embellished and beaded designs for icons including Cher, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner and Diana Ross.
"His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world," Mackie's team wrote in their tribute to him on Monday.
