Celebrity
Kim Kardashian Is Accuses Of ‘Damaging’ Marilyn Monroe’s Iconic Dress At Met Gala
It had missing crystals, with a few hanging by a thread.
In May, Kim Kardashian modeled Marilyn Monroe’s iconic gown at the Met Gala. The dress, sewn nude, was first worn by Marilyn when she sang “Happy Birthday” to the then-president John F. Kennedy in 1962. Kim, 41, loaned the 60-Year-Old gown from a museum that stored it at a controlled temperature after it was bought for $5million in 2016.
“Great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop culture history. With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, and archivists, the garment’s condition was a top priority,” Ripley’s Believe It or Not! said in May.
They added at the time: “Believe It or Not! no alterations were to be made to the dress, and Kim even changed into a replica after the red carpet.” In response, the Marilyn Monroe Collection has now mocked the statement Ripley had released about the reality star borrowing the dress, saying: “So much for keeping the integrity of the dress and the preservation @ripleysbelieveitornot, was it worth it?”
The Marilyn Monroe Collection also claimed the dress returned with missing crystals; some were left hanging by a thread.
Photos, taken by ChadMichael Morissette at the museum’s Hollywood location on June 12, were shared on an Instagram account run by historian and collector Scott Fortner as proof. In the comments, hundreds of fans pointed out the alleged damage in the before vs. after photos, although there was no way to confirm the validity of the images. “Missing so many crystals and those tears. What a disaster!” One person wrote.
Another added: “Not only the stretching around the zipper, but if you look at the upper-ish left side, there are several crystals missing.”
A third chimed in: “Damage has been done, and it can’t be fixed. The fabric is torn. Imagine what could have happened to it if Kim had worn the dress even longer. I’m so sad to see this.” However, the mom-of-four was the first person to wear the gown since Monroe wore it in 1962. Kim admitted she lost 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into the dress but could not zip it.
As an alternative, the SKIMs founder added a white fur shawl to the look to hide it was open in the back.
On the other hand, not only has Kim been accused of damaging the gown by wearing it, she was earlier accused of promoting unhealthy body standards after detailing her extreme weight loss. She shared with Vogue that she went ruthlessly strict diet to wear the dress to the Met Gala, admitting she hadn’t eaten carbs and sugar in three weeks.
