What is the most expensive gown worn to the Met Gala?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Met Gala, now in its 75-year history, has become a beacon of glamour and style in the fashion world. Since its inception in 1948, the event has evolved from a “midnight supper” to a star-studded extravaganza that brings together the crème de la crème of entertainment, fashion, and sports.

Each year, the Met Gala’s theme serves as the dress code for attendees, and the red carpet is where celebrities showcase their most exquisite and often record-breaking attire.

The Met Gala’s most expensive dress

The iconic “Happy Birthday Mr. President” gown, worn by Marilyn Monroe to serenade President John F. Kennedy at his 45th birthday celebration on May 19, 1962, has been the subject of fascination and controversy. The custom-made dress, designed by Bob Mackie and constructed by Jean Louis for $1,440.33, was a sheer flesh-colored marquisette fabric adorned with 2,500 shimmering rhinestones.

Monroe’s performance was one of her last major public appearances before her death. The dress underwent significant transformations over the years. It sold at an auction in New York City in 1999 for $1.26 million, equivalent to $2.4 million in 2024. Later, a Canadian billionaire purchased it at a Los Angeles auction in 2016 for $4.8 million.

The dress was then on loan to Ripley’s Believe it or Not in Florida, where Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris had to persuade the museum to allow Kim to try on the dress, let alone borrow it for the Met Gala.

However, Kim did not wear the actual gown for the majority of the evening. She wore it for only about five minutes to walk the red carpet before changing into a replica to avoid damaging the historic dress. The dress was tailored to fit Monroe’s exact measurements, but even after Kim lost 16 pounds over three weeks, it still did not fit her perfectly.