Beauty

Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress would probably be A-OK in the late icon's book -- so says her estate, anyway ... flying in the face of what her self-proclaimed biggest fans are saying.

Nick Woodhouse -- President/CMO of Authentic Brands Group, which runs Monroe's estate -- tells TMZ ... he and his partners believe Marilyn would've been thrilled to have seen KK rocking her legendary gown to the Met Gala.

The fact it was once again at the center of fashion and pop culture all these years later is pretty astonishing in ABG's eyes -- and they tell us they think the late Monroe likely would've felt the same way.

As for Kim being the one to don the dress again ... Woodhouse says there's no better person for it, as he sees a lot of similarities between Marilyn and Kim -- namely, the fact they're strong, powerful and independent entrepreneurs who love being in front of the camera.

Now, if you're wondering whether Kim ran this by the estate ... the answer is no, but it doesn't sound like she had to ... as the dress technically belongs to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum -- but it's all good ... because ABG says she went through the proper channels.

Even if she had gone to them for a blessing, we're told the company would've easily given it to her -- as the amount of shout-outs they're getting now in the wake of the Gala is overwhelmingly positive, and it's created a ton of new exposure to folks who might not know or remember Marilyn.

The reason this is significant ... a handful of so-called Marilyn experts -- including folks who've written books and produced documentaries about her -- have chirped up en masse about Kim going full Marilyn ... saying she wasn't worthy, and that her doing so was a slap in the face to MM's memory.

Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian was first told she couldn't wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress to the Met Gala ... but the museum holding the piece had a change of heart after Kim put in the work.

A spokesperson for Ripley's tells TMZ ... Kim's team reached out a few months ago after doing some research about the dress.

They met in March for a fitting but it didn't go well -- both Kim and the Ripley reps weren't happy with how it fit her, and the museum denied its use. Remember, the dress is 60 years old so the fabric and seams needed to be handled gently.

Determined to make it work, we're told Kim came back to Ripleys a month later, after shedding some weight -- a reported 16 pounds -- and it was a better fit.

As for the Met Gala carpet, Kim wore the actual dress to walk and take photos, but then changed into a replica for the actual event inside -- and returned the OG to Ripley's.

You might think Ripley's would've requested a rental fee ... but we're told instead, Kim's making 2 donations to orgs in the Orlando area on the museum's behalf.

The Met Gala is officially wrapped, but the stars weren't done partying after walking into the museum -- far from it, in fact ... every famous face around was at either one of 3 shindigs.

After Monday's fashion-forward event ... celebs flocked to a few of the after-parties in the Big Apple that essentially became a who's-who of Hollywood. We'll lay out some of the names at each bash ... and you can decide which one was the place to be when the sun went down.

First, there was the Casa Cipriani after-party -- hosted by Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell -- which drew A-listers like Vanessa Hudgens, Cara Delevingne, Gunna, Bella Hadid, Ansel Elgort, Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billie Eilish, Winnie Harlow, Joshua Jackson ... just to name a few.

SAINt JHN performed for the crowd, as folks enjoyed the hits, while also mingling and posing with one another for selfies, and admiring one another's outfits. There was a lot of that happening.

Not too far was another get-together at the Standard Hotel -- this one's being attributed to Cardi B -- and there, too, stars showed up in droves to hobnob and mingle.

Among some of the biggest names ... Dove Cameron, Tessa Thompson, Normani, Camila Mendes, Future, Justin Theroux, Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Erykah Badu, Brooklyn Beckham, Alicia Keys, Wendy Williams ... and more.

There was one final party, and that one was at Zero Bond ... seems like it was for the younger crowd. Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Addison Rae, Olivia Rodrigo, Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler were there. It also looks like a lot of these folks were double-dipping ... hopscotching from one even to another.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner both looked spectacular Monday night at the Met Gala ... but the imagery re-creates one of the toughest moments in the real Jackie Kennedy's life.

Kim's dress was the actual garment worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang a super-sexy Happy Birthday to JFK May 19, 1962 at Madison Square Garden.

It was a secret to the public but not so much in the Beltway ... JFK was banging Marilyn (as was RFK) ... and everything about Marilyn that night undeniably oozed sexuality. Lots of folks in that circle say Jackie Kennedy was less than pleased ... that's an understatement.

In fact, JFK was also taken aback and shortly thereafter both he and RFK cut off their relationship with Marilyn. The actress was livid and felt used, and even started calling the White House with her grievances.

The new Netflix documentary, "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes," gets into the birthday song in-depth and how it affected all the relationships. According to the doc -- and there was compelling evidence this is true -- Bobby Kennedy flew to L.A. on August 4, 1962, the day she died, and went to talk to Marilyn. Eyewitnesses say they got in a huge argument, Robert left and scurried out of L.A., and Marilyn then OD'd on prescription drugs.

Kim Kardashian hit the snooze on Met Gala after-parties ... choosing to head back to the hotel with Pete Davidson for the carbs they craved after 3 weeks of dieting!!!

Kim made a beeline for the Ritz Carlton in NYC for pizza and donuts with Pete after the shindig. The couple had towers of pizza at the ready, and fresh donuts made in their hotel suite. Unlikely the 2 will annihilate all the boxes, so we're guessing they were expecting company.

Kim says she's passed on carbs for weeks, and you can hear in her voice how she's been longing for a slice or two. Kim said she had to lose 16 pounds to squeeze into that dress ... the same one Marilyn Monroe wore 6 decades ago when she sang her sexy version of "Happy Birthday" to JFK.

Kim's been hinting at wearing the dress for some time ... first, she said she couldn't tailor her outfit, and then she and Pete were spotted leaving "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" museum in Orlando, where the iconic dress is on display.

After gobbling down some pizza and donuts, Kim and Pete headed for the airport and flew back to L.A. Khloe also came along for the ride home.

And, as you know by now, they arrived home in victory, winning a solid victory against Blac Chyna Monday in her defamation trial.

Kim Kardashian rocked Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress at the Met Gala ... but, the struggle was real, when it came to actually getting into the iconic garment.

Kim and her boo, Pete Davidson, hit up Ripley's in Orlando 10 days before the NYC shindig ... and it was a whole process getting it to properly fit.

Check it out ... it takes several minutes and all hands on deck to help her get MM's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress over her butt.

It's funny ... at first, Pete chats with her from the sidelines, before jumping in to help ... imploring her to relax and breathe.

The basic problem -- the dress wouldn't zip over her butt, and she couldn't alter it. So, the solution ... a white, vintage fur coat that draped over the zipper which was only partially fastened.

Here's the thing ... Kim wore the real MM dress on the red carpet, but then scurried away into a room to change into a replica dress that fit a lot better, and that's what she wore during the event.

BTW ... the real dress apparently was never cleaned after Marilyn wore it ... hence some dirt marks at the very bottom of the dress.

Ripley's gifted Kim a jar of Marilyn's hair, and in the video she says she's gonna sleep with it every night, adding, "Sorry Pete!" Pete laughed out loud ... clearly not threatened!

Kim Kardashian is channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe ... wearing the exact same dress MM wore during a sexy performance for John F. Kennedy to The Met Gala.

Kim just arrived at the ball wearing Marilyn's iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress ... she was the last one to show, arriving with Pete Davidson, who was dressed in Dior.

The dress, originally designed by Jean Louis, was first worn by Marilyn way back in May 1962, when she gave a sexed-up bday performance for JFK at another famous fundraiser in New York.

Some 60 years later, Kim has taken the dress off of a display at a museum, and rocking it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kim's been hinting at wearing the dress for some time ... first, she said she couldn't tailor her outfit, which hints at something from an archive, and then she and Pete were spotted leaving "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" museum in Orlando, where the iconic dress is on display.

It's one of the most expensive dresses in the world ... the original $12,000 price tag in 1962 is equivalent to about $114k in today's dollars ... and Ripley's bought the dress from Julien's Auction in November 2016 for $4.81 million.

It's that time of year again ... the Met Gala is in full effect, as celebs make their way down the red carpet for the biggest night in fashion.

Regina King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are this year's co-chairs along with Tom Ford, Anna Wintour and Adam Mosseri.

Blake walked the carpet in a color-changing gown by Versace.

Celebs are starting to pour in, including Kaia Gerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Melissa King, Annie Leibovitz, Kacey Musgraves and Tommy Dorfman.

Austin Butler, who is set to play Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, walked the carpet with Priscilla Presley.

La La Anthony and Vanessa Hudgens are hosting Vogue's red carpet, and they have both arrived ... wearing floor-length gowns, along with Rachel Smith -- of course, with their own edge.

We're bound to see a variety of dresses and suits, to go along with the theme -- "In America: An Anthology of Fashion." This year's dress code is all about 'gilded fashion' and 'white tie' ... so it sounds like it'll be pretty extravagant.

We know "Euphoria" star, Zendaya, won't be in attendance tonight, but we will probably see some of her Euphoria co-stars ... including Sydney Sweeney, who is expected for the first time. Speaking of debuts, we're expected to see Kim and Pete pop out together.

Ulta is under fire after emailing out a promotion that collabs with Kate Spade ... one that refers to the fashion designer's tragic death.

People on Ulta's mailing list were shocked Sunday when a message came to their inbox saying "Come hang with Kate Spade" ... as you know, Spade hanged herself in 2018.

The Internet is going after the beauty company full bore ... with many wondering who the hell QC's stuff that goes out.

Not surprisingly ... customers and even some ex-employees are calling for a boycott.

As we reported, Spade was found dead in her NYC apartment in 2018 -- her body was found by her housekeeper. She left a note behind for her daughter, telling the 13-year-old it wasn't her fault.

We reached out to Ulta for comment ... so far, no word back.

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK.

Kylie Jenner has been something of an open book about her post-pregnancy the second time around, revealing her mental struggles and now her weight.

Kylie says she gained 60 lbs during her recent pregnancy and is not going crazy to lose the weight. She says she's taking her time and has already dropped 40 lbs.

As for how she's doing it ... walking and pilates seem to be doing the trick.

Kylie posted, "Gained 60lbs again this pregnancy." She's essentially saying that's what she gained the first time around with Stormi, but in 2018 she had posted she gained 40 lbs, so the "again" comment is a bit confusing.

Kylie has said she struggled hard with postpartum since the February birth, both mentally and physically ... "I just want to say to my postpartum moms that postpartum has not been easy. It's not been easy, it's very hard, This experience for me, personally, has been a little harder than with my daughter."

She went on ... "It's not easy mentally, physically, spiritually ... it's just crazy. I didn't want to just get back to life without saying that because I think we can look on the Internet and for other moms going through it right now, we can go on the Internet and it might look a lot easier for other people and, like, the pressure on us, but it hasn't been easy for me."

She's now back on the treadmill and seems at least on the surface to be in a better headspace, but she's making it clear ... it's been tough.

Kylie Jenner is making a move to expand her makeup empire ... it looks like she now wants her cosmetics line to cover magic potions for eyes.

Kylie's company filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to a name for her potential new revenue stream ... "KYLASH."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kylie is looking to use "KYLASH" in her growing makeup line to include more products ... including extension fibers, cosmetic preparations, tints and serums for eyelashes.

The docs make it look like Kylie also wants to slap the name on eye makeup remover and mascara. So, she's covering all her bases.

Amber Heard's attorney claimed her client would cover up alleged bruising with a makeup kit during her relationship with Johnny Depp -- but the brand itself is saying ... not so fast.

One of the actress's lawyers, Elaine Bredehoft, said during opening statements last week that Amber would often resort to applying makeup during her time with Depp ... to allegedly hide marks she claims were left behind by her boyfriend-turned-husband.

Bredehoft told the jury that they'd be hearing testimony and seeing evidence proving Amber would use different makeup products to achieve this -- and actually held up one of the items Heard apparently used back then, including a very specific Milani correcting kit.

The problem ... the kit wasn't actually in circulation during the time period that Bredehoft was describing -- roughly between 2012 and 2016, pre-divorce -- according to Milani itself.

The company posted a TikTok video from their page that refutes what Heard's attorney was selling ... writing, "You asked us… let the record show that our Correcting Kit launched in 2017!" adding a hyper-cut video digging up the deets on this kit's launch -- Dec. 2017.

In short, there's no way Amber was carrying this kit around in her purse like her lawyer claimed. To be fair -- Bredehoft didn't specifically cite Milani when demonstrating for the jury, so it's plausible she was simply showing off general makeup to make her point.

Still, if she was pointing to the Milani kit, specifically, then yeah ... it doesn't appear her claim holds water based on what Milani itself is saying. It'll be interesting to see if Depp latches on to this point and presses it ... or if it'll go unnoticed.

Depp's team has trotted out witnesses claiming they never saw marks on Amber, even when she "wasn't wearing makeup" -- but her team argues they had no way of knowing whether she had makeup on or not, and that their testimony doesn't prove it one way or another.

We're heading into week 3, and at the moment ... Depp is still being subjected to cross-examination -- much of which thus far has focused on nasty texts he sent about Amber.

There was even a video played that shows JD losing his temper while being recorded in the kitchen -- but he's insisted he never laid a hand on her. His team, meanwhile, played a recording that appears to show Heard admitting to hitting Depp and picking a fight.

She has yet to take the stand to explain her side of things, but will get her chance soon.

LaMelo Ball's game is smooth on the court, and he might be trying to get your skin to feel the same -- the NBA star's team just filed a trademark for his very own skincare line.

TMZ Sports has learned ... LaMelo's manager, Jermaine Jackson, filed papers last week to trademark the phrase "LaFrance Skin By LaMelo Ball" for the purpose of "Skincare products, namely, non-medicated skin serum."

The filing was made under the name "Purple Goat Management" ... which is a nod to the nickname JJ gave himself.

Now, Melo is no stranger to off-court ventures -- as we previously reported, Ball recently launched his own LaFrance clothing line and luxury watch collection.

The clothes ($120 for a premium hoodie) and watch ($15k for a top-tier version) come with a hefty price tag ... so we're guessing the new skin products won't be cheap.

LaMelo averaged over 20 points a game this season ... and blossomed into one of the top young talents in the game.

If he becomes the face of the NBA, the league will be in good hands.

Silky smooth hands, that is.

The TikToker who claims his face was left with splotches all over after a facial gone wrong is taking the spa that did it to court ... because he just sued, like he said he would.

Neyo White filed suit against Diamond Facez Skin Care Bar for what he says was a botched chemical peel that burned his mug ... leaving discoloration and peeling behind that he claims were incredibly painful and distressing.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, White describes how he got this done in February. At the time, he was told the burning was normal and not to worry. However, he claims it was anything but ... and has pictures he says show the severe burns left by the peel.

He says he suffered skin disfigurement and possibly permanent scarring from the burns. He also claims he's suffered pain and suffering over the alleged injuries ... including shock, fear, mental anguish, etc.

As we previously told you ... this whole thing might've been averted if the spa had just refunded what he paid for the chemical peel -- a mere $150 he claims the establishment refused to hand back.

Now, he's asking for compensatory and punitive damages of at least $500,000.

Jessica Simpson is lovin' the way she looks ... posting another bikini picture from her vacation in Cabo after she dropped 100 pounds for the 3rd time!

The "Open Book" author posted a mirror pic from what seems to be her hotel room in Cabo San Lucas Monday ... rocking a cheetah print 2-piece for the camera.

She's been living it up with her family in Mexico for spring break, posting photos with her husband Eric Johnson, and their children -- 9-year-old Maxwell, 8-year-old Ace, and 3-year-old Birdie Mae.

As you recall, Jessica revealed her drastic weight loss to her fans Friday ... posting another swimsuit pic and saying she has gained and lost 100 pounds three different times.

It sounds like this one is different because she adds, "I never thought this moment could or would happen" ... Jessica chalked it up to hard work, determination and self-love.

Simon Cowell is done with face fillers, because he says it turned his mug into a "horror film."

Simon looked ... different at the Kids' Choice Awards 2022 as he sauntered in ... actually, remarkably different -- in a good way.

Simon posed with other judges from "America's Got Talent" ... showing off his new appearance since he has stopped getting Botox treatments.

As for why ... it's the age-old truism -- emphasis on age -- that guys generally look worse when they get shot up with fillers. As Simon put it, he looked "like something out a horror film".

He went even further, confessing his son, Eric, was in hysterics over his filled-in face and that's when he realized enough was enough.

"There was a stage where I might have gone a bit too far. I saw a picture of me from ‘before' the other day, and didn’t recognize it as me first of all" ... he said.

Now, the "American Idol" judge says it's all about having clear skin ... "I probably did have a little too much Botox a couple of years ago, because everyone on TV has it. Now I have facials, but nothing too extravagant at the moment."