Kim Kardashian's Marilyn Monroe Dress Shows Boom in Collectibles as Investment - Bloomberg

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Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala Dress Spotlights a Market That’s Set to Boom

  • Julien’s Auctions sees $200 million in sales in five years
  • Asia is poised to lead growth in luxury collectibles market
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson attend the 2022 Met Gala.Photographer: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for the Met Museum/Vogue
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It was just two years ago that Kim Kardashian caused a stir online after walking down the Met Gala’s red carpet with the iconic nude mesh dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy.

That couldn’t have happened without Julien’s Auctions, a boutique house that specializes in trading celebrity memorabilia. It sold the gown to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in 2016 for a record $4.8 million and helped Kardashian negotiate the loan for the 2022 soiree. Soon after, a Monroe fan called Julien’s offering $10 million to buy the outfit, but Ripley’s declined, preferring to keep it as a trophy asset.

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