"Nobody else should be seen in that dress": Legendary designer Bob Mackie slams Kim Kardashian's Marilyn Monroe dress at Met Gala as a 'big mistake'

American fashion designer Bob Mackie expressed his thoughts on Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress at the Met Gala 2022.

While speaking to outlet Entertainment Weekly on May 16, the 82-year-old designer said that the dress was only designed for the late actress.

"I thought it was a big mistake. [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."

The iconic costume designer created the design in 1962 for Jean Louis, who created the famous dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing to then-President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday. Monroe died only three months later.

Kim Kardashian famously shed 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into the gown, which was initially delivered to her via private jet from Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Orlando, Florida, and couldn't be modified. Speaking to Vogue, she said:

"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. I didn't starve myself, but I was so strict."

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All you need to know about Bob Mackie

As per his website, Bob Mackie is a renowned costume and fashion designer who has clothed some of the world's most stunning entertainment stars. Bob Mackie's career spans five decades and includes nine Emmy Award wins, three Academy Award nominations, and entry into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

In 2019, he won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his work on The Cher Show.

A Southern California native, Mackie began his work as a sketch artist for numerous costume designers in movies, including Edith Head and Jean Louis, in 1961.

Actress Mitzi Gaynor approached Mackie in 1966 to design the costumes for her legendary Las Vegas Review and planned television specials.

Carol Burnett and TV producer Joe Hamilton chose Gaynor to create the complete outfit for the inaugural Carol Burnett Show after viewing Gaynor's Las Vegas program, and he remained the show's costume designer during the show's eleven-year run on broadcast.

Bob is also well-known for the designs he created for Cher's television show and concert tours, receiving an Emmy in 1999 for Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas and another in 2003 for Cher: The Farewell Tour.

He also created costumes and set designs for the world premiere of Blue Suede Shoes, a ballet utilizing Elvis Presley's music, as well as costumes for the San Francisco Opera's staging of Alban Berg's Lulu.

The Bob Mackie ready-to-wear line and Bob Mackie Barbie collectible dolls first appeared in 1982. Collectors and shoppers alike continue to seek out the Bob Mackie Barbie.

The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology celebrated Mackie's great contribution to fashion and costume design in 1999 with the retrospective Unmistakably Mackie, which is now regarded as one of New York City's most popular exhibitions.

More than 125 samples of Mackie's designs, drawings, pictures, and videos from his extraordinary career were on display. Unmistakably Mackie, a book drawn by Frank DeCaro, was also issued in connection with the retrospective.

Mackie's extraordinary career achievements are still being recognized. Bob received the TDF Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for theater costume design in 2007. In 2008, the Hollywood Arts Council presented Bob with the "Charlie" (Chaplin) Award for Fashion Arts, recognizing his commitment to the arts in Hollywood.

In May 2011, Bob received the Design Legend Award and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Otis College of Art and Design, where he has mentored students for over two decades. Bob was awarded the Designer of Excellence Award by the Chicago History Museum in April 2016, and he received the Geoffrey Beene CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.