Met Gala 2022: Best dressed stars hit red carpet

Hollywood stars were out in force for fashion’s biggest night of the year at the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday night. 

Kim Kardashian transformed into movie legend Marilyn Monroe for the glamourous event, as she arrived in the late star’s $5 million gown she wore in 1962 to wish President John F. Kennedy a happy birthday.

After weeks of speculation, the 41-year-old billionaire arrived wearing the iconic gown – complete with newly dyed platinum blonde hair.

While walking on the red carpet with boyfriend, Kim revealed that she had to lose 16 pounds to fit into the dress, opting to forgo carbs and sugar for three weeks.

Blake Lively also stunned on the carpet, opting for a pink gown that transformed to blue, with the dress and jewelry inspired by New York City architecture while Cardi B glittered in a gold gown with statement gloves.

Kim made history by being the only person besides Marilyn to ever wear the iconic dress in the 40 years since it was created.

‘This is Marilyn Monroe’s dress. It’s sixty years old. I had this idea to put it on and try it on. They came with armed guards and gloves. I tried it on and it didn’t fit me. I had to lose 16 pounds,’ she said on the red carpet. 

‘I was determined to fit it… I did it…’ adding that she hasn’t eaten carbs or sugar for three weeks and also dyed her hair blonde.

For weeks, fans speculated that Kim was going to wear Marilyn Monroe’s $5 million gown she wore when she sang Happy Birthday Mr. President to John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday on May 19,1962.

The dress was based on a sketch by Bob Mackie for the costume designer Jean-Louis; the translucent gown features over 6,000 crystals.

Marilyn reportedly paid $1,440 for the custom piece and in 1999, her estate sold it at an auction for over one million dollars, per Vogue.

It changed hands again when it sold it 2016 for $4.8 million before Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum acquired it. 

Per the outlet, the dress sits on a muslin covered dress form at the museum in a darkened vault at a controlled temperature of 68 degrees with 40-50% humidity.

Last month, she was photographed leaving Ripley’s Museum in Orlando where the dress is housed, leading fans to believe she was going to wear it.

During the premiere of the Kardashians last month, she revealed that she has to might not go because she has to fit in the dress since it cannot be altered.

In an interview with Vogue, Kim told the magazine that the idea came last fall at last year’s Met Gala.

‘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 not had been the Balenciaga look? What’s the most American theme you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monroe,’ she said to Vogue. 

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

‘Nowadays everyone wears sheer dresses, but back then that was not the case. In a sense, it’s the original naked dress. That’s why its so shocking,’ she said to the magazine. 

The mom of four revealed she dyed her raven tresses platinum one day prior, in a process that took 14 hours. 

Kim connected to Ripley’s via the owner of Julien’s Auctions, adding that she also loves auctions and owns several JFK pieces.

Before the museum allowed Kim to borrow the piece, they let her try a replica which fit; the next step was the original gown getting flown to California from Florida for her to try on.

After the dress arrived with guards, she tried it on with gloves for the first time  – and it did not fit.

‘I always thought she was extremely curvy. I imagined I might be smaller in some places where she was bigger and bigger in some places where she was smaller. So when it didn’t fit me I wanted to cry because it can’t be altered at all,’ she said to Vogue.

Kim had to either diet or wear something else but she told the outlet ‘It was this or nothing.’ 

She went on a strict diet of no carbs and no sugar while running on the treadmill and wearing a sauna suit twice a day, adding that she didn’t starve herself but was just strict.

After one month in her regimen, she tried on the dress in Orlando and it fit: ‘I wanted to cry tears of joy when it went up.’ 

Kim put the dress inside a small fitting room in the museum and revealed that she changed into a replica of the gown once she walked up the stairs, in order to minimize any damage to the fragile dress. 

Blake Lively looked regal as she glided down the red carpet with husband Ryan Reynolds at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Upper East Side neighborhood.

Blake’s dress transformed from pink to blue after three gentlemen helped her untie the bow along her waist, revealing a stunning sea blue colored skirt and train.

In a red carpet interview, Blake explained that the inspiration behind the gown and jewelry came from New York City architecture and classic buildings. 

Blake walked up the steps of the museum and paused as three gentleman helped untie the bow along her waist, revealing an icy blue skirt with gold accents and intricate glittery symbols.

Her pink gloves also turned blue and gold during the stunning transformation in the middle of the stairway.

The former Gossip Girl star paired the incredible frock with a tiara and emerald and diamond earrings. 

In a red carpet interview, Blake explained the concept of the dress, which she said from New York City architecture and classic buildings.

Blake said: ‘Instead of looking to fashion to influence the dress, I looked to New York City architecture, the classic buildings.  This is the constellation from Grand Central Station. This is Empire State building. The draping – Statue of Liberty, plus the crown which has seven tiers, the Statue of Liberty has seven rays representing the suns rays and then also the seven seas and continents which represents welcome-ness inclusivity and freedom. I sound like a Wikipedia page nd there are 25 window so Lorraine [Schwartz] put 25 stones at the bottom.

Gigi Hadid chose a burgundy look that featured latex bottoms with a corset and voluminous jacket; Gigi paired the futuristic look with crimson lips and a dimensional bun.

Hailey Bieber arrived wearing a silky white gown with a feathered duster coat, adding tights and black heels; The 25-year-old model wore her brunette hair pulled back with neutral makeup.

Vanessa Hudgens stunned in a completely sheer black gown featuring an intricate lace design along the torso and train; the actress’ matching underwear was visible beneath the dramatic number.

The former Disney star paired the striking dress with coordinating heels and statement diamond earrings and cuff.

Joining her on the sheer black dress trend were stars Maude Apatow, Joan Smalls and Phoebe Dynevor.

Kaia Gerber donned a sheer silver gown with fringed beading and cut out accents along the torso; she rocked long curly tresses with bejeweled detailing along the crown of her head.

The model posed with her boyfriend Austin Butler, 30, after he walked the red carpet with Priscilla Presley; Austin stars in the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, is considered by many as the ‘Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets.’

Fashion’s biggest night is traditionally held the first Monday in May to raise money for the Costume Institute in New York City, with last year’s event moved to September due to the pandemic. 

This year’s dress code is ‘gilded glamour’ to match the theme of ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion,’ a continuation of last year’s ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.’

Tickets for the glitzy event can reportedly cost up to $35,000 apiece, while prices for a table range from $200,000 to $300,000, with last year’s bash raking in a  whopping $16.4 million for the Met’s Costume Institute.

Regina King, power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Lin-Manuel Miranda are hosting this time, taking over from Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka. 

This will be Miranda’s first time as a Met Gala co-chair (and guest) but he was originally intended to co-host the 2020 edition before the pandemic forced its cancellation. 

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is once again supervising the benefit as chairwoman, a position she’s held since 1995. Her fellow honorary co-chairs are designer Tom Ford and Instagram head Adam Mosseri. 

As usual, the sartorial theme comes from the exhibit the gala launches: ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion,’ which is the second of star curator Andrew Bolton’s two-part show exploring the roots of American style.

This exhibit will showcase some lesser-known designers, and also some top film directors, including Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, host King, and last year’s Oscar winner Chloé Zhao.

Bolton said eight directors will create what he called ‘cinematic vignettes’ in the period rooms of the American Wing of the museum. 

Similar to the September event, there will be 400 guests this year, lower than the pre-pandemic highs of 500-600 attendees. 

The other four are Ford, the celebrated fashion designer who’s also an acclaimed film director, Janicza Bravo (Zola), Julie Dash (Daughters Of The Dust) and Autumn de Wilde (who directed the Jane Austen adaptation Emma. and is also a photographer).

The first part of the exhibition will remain on display in the rooms of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, along with the second part, until September 5.

More than half the pieces in the opening exhibition will be rotated out and garments from designers not yet featured will go on display.

The Met Gala is a huge money-maker for the museum, and provides the Costume Institute with its main source of funding.