Kim Kardashian’s love for Marilyn Monroe just hit a whole new level.
Before the The Kardashians star rocked the late blonde bombshell’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress to the 2022 Met Gala, she was gifted a lock of Monroe’s hair from the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! headquarters in Orlando, Florida.
During her Met Gala dress fitting, the museum team surprised Kim with a silver box containing actual strands of Monroe’s legendary platinum hair.
The reality star wasn’t shy about revealing her bizarre plans for Monroe’s tresses.
“Oh, my God, I’m literally going to do some crazy voodoo shit [to] channel her,” the reality star said in the video. “This is so special to me. Thank you so much. This is so cool.”
“Wow, this is sleeping with me every night,” Kim added, turning to boyfriend Pete Davidson. “Sorry, babe.”
The Ripley’s team also filled her Met Gala dressing room with an array of Marilyn Monroe and JFK memorabilia to make sure the fashionista had ample inspiration for her look.
Kim confessed, however, that fitting into the dress was no easy task - she had to lose 16 pounds in three weeks.
“I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein,” she told Vogue on the red carpet. “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.”
Kim marked only the second time in history that the famous garment has been tried on, according to an Instagram post from Ripley’s museum.
“The dress was transported by guards and I had to wear gloves to try it on,” she said.
The American franchise that specialises in showcasing oddities captured Kim’s emotional moment as she tried on the dress that had been preserved as a piece of pop culture history.
The problem was the dress wouldn’t fully zip over her frame.
The museum had to consult with garment conservationists, appraisers and archivists to figure out the best way to preserve the condition of the dress since alterations could not be made to the gown.
In order to make it work, Kim wore a white, vintage fur coat that draped over the zipper, which was only partially fastened.
She didn’t change into the dress until she was ready to stroll the red carpet, she said. She left her hotel on Monday in just a fitting gown and changed into the historic dress in a small room at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
After the initial big reveal on the red carpet, she changed into a replica dress to protect the piece of history. She then celebrated her three weeks of dieting by throwing a donut and pizza party in her hotel room.
On Monday night, she shared videos on her Instagram story showcasing the mini donut station and slew of pizza boxes on a table in her room.
“You guys, I haven’t had carbs or sugar in almost a month,” she said. “Definitely three weeks. This pizza — I’m so excited!”
Despite enduring disapproval from critics for endangering the gown by borrowing it, the head of Monroe’s estate, Nick Woodhouse, sounded off his approval. He told TMZ he and his partners believe Monroe would have celebrated Kim’s fashion tribute, citing similarities between the two icons.