KEY POINTS
- Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday" dress designer said it was a mistake allowing Kim Kardashian to wear it
- Bob Mackie said the dress was done for Monroe and only the late actress should be seen in it
- Alicia Malone said Kardashian would always be tied to the same dress as Monroe after wearing it
Kim Kardashian got called out by the designer of Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress.
Fashion designer Bob Mackie was unhappy after seeing the dress he exclusively designed for Monroe on the "Keeping Up With the Kardashian" star. Kardashian, 41, used the outfit when she attended the 2022 Met Gala.
"I thought it was a big mistake," Mackie told Entertainment Weekly about Kardashian wearing Monroe's popular dress. "[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 echoed the same sentiments and concerns of the historians who worried that Kardashian wearing the dress could damage its preservation and structural integrity.
Several historians reacted upon seeing Kardashian wearing Monroe's "Happy Birthday" dress. Many raised concerns about the possibility of damaging it since it was designed to perfectly fit the "Misfits" star's body. Kardashian even shared that she lost 16 pounds in three weeks to wear the dress because it was her first and only choice of attire for the event.
Dr. Justine De Young, a professor of fashion history at the Fashion Institute of Technology, was among those who disapproved of Kardashian wearing Monroe's outfit. It was "irresponsible and unnecessary," she told People.
She believed Kardashian could have worn a replica because "such an iconic piece of American history should not be put at risk of damage just for an ego-boost and photo-op."
"TCM" host Alicia Malone, who spoke with Mackie as part of the network's upcoming "Follow the Thread" series and can be seen on CNN's "Reframed: Marilyn Monroe," also raised concerns about the impact of Kardashian wearing the dress that was preserved in a "controlled environment." She noted how the Costume Institute was so careful in handling historic items, so she found it alarming that the reality star was able to wear Monroe's dress.
"I personally wish she wore a replica instead of the real thing," she said.
She added that there were "many parallels" between Kardashian and Monroe like both were "very publicity savvy" and wanted to create a sensation. Also, both changed the ideal beauty of the moment.
She also said that Monroe was a "mess of contradictions" and what made her appealing was how she was not easy to place in a box.
"I don't know what Kim Kardashian sees in Marilyn herself or how much she knows about her history. But definitely, now, Kim will be tied to that dress as Marilyn is — so it'll be the Marilyn Monroe dress that Kim Kardashian also wore to the Met Gala," she noted.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: Kim Kardashian attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. Photo: Gotham/Getty Images
