Kim Kardashian wears dress owned by Marilyn Monroe for the 2022 Met Gala

The reality TV star spent 14 hours dying her hair platinum blonde for the full Monroe-effect

Kim Kardashian wore a dress owned by Marilyn Monroe for the 2022 Met Gala. Reuters

The reality TV star accessorised the 1962 dress with a faux fur coat. Reuters

The dress is the exact piece Marilyn Monroe wore to sing 'Happy Birthday' to US president John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962. EPA

US socialite Kim Kardashian arrives for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022, in New York. - The Gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The Gala's 2022 theme is "In America: An Anthology of Fashion". (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

The dress was designed for Marilyn Monroe by French costume designer Jean-Louis, based on a sketch by American fashion designer Bob Mackie. EPA

Kim Kardashian arrived at the 2022 Met Gala with boyfriend Pete Davidson. EPA

The dress is translucent and embellished with more than 6,000 crystals. EPA

Kim Kardashian said, in order to protect the vintage dress, she is not wearing any of the body make-up she usually does. Reuters

The custom piece is said to have cost Monroe $1,440. In 1999 it was sold at auction for $1.26 million and in 2016 it sold again for $4.6m. EPA

Kim Kardashian has, once again, ensured she is the belle of the Met Gala. The reality TV star opted to go for a vintage gown for the 2022 event, borrowing from none other than Marilyn Monroe's wardrobe.

Kardashian arrived at the event, often dubbed “fashion's biggest night out”, with boyfriend Pete Davidson, wearing a recognisable gown, the exact dress Monroe wore to sing Happy Birthday to US president John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962.

For the full Monroe-effect, Kardashian — who is known for her flowing black locks — spent 14 hours dying her hair platinum blonde. Kardashian wore her hair in a tight bun on the red carpet.

Speaking to US Vogue ahead of the event, Kardashian said: “The idea really came to me after the gala in September last year. 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.

“For me the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang Happy Birthday, to JFK, it was that look.”

History of Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday, Mr President' dress

The dress, which is translucent and embellished with more than 6,000 crystals, was designed by French costume designer Jean-Louis, based on a sketch by American fashion designer, Bob Mackie.

The custom piece is said to have cost Monroe $1,440. In 1999, it was sold at auction for $1.26 million, making it the most expensive dress to have ever been sold at the time. In 2016 it sold again for $4.6m when it was acquired by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum.

Kardashian told Vogue the museum was protective of its piece and originally sent her a replica of the dress to try on, which fit "perfectly". She was then sent the original dress to try.

“The dress was transported by guards and I had to wear gloves to try it on,” Kardashian said. “I always thought she was extremely curvy. I imagined I might be smaller in some places where she was bigger and bigger in places where she was smaller. So when it didn’t fit me I wanted to cry because it can’t be altered at all.”

Kardashian decided to lose weight to fit into the dress, deciding it was "this [gown] or nothing".

“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 said. “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.”

For the event, Kardashian had access to two more Monroe styles, including a replica of the gown she wore to the 1962 Oscars by Norman Norell.

See all the looks from the 2022 Met Gala: