Fashion enthusiasts and Marilyn Monroe fans around the world expressed their disappointment on social media after photographs showing damages to Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday” dress, which was worn by Kim Kardashian for Met Gala, were posted online.
The before and after photos posted on Instagram by The Marilyn Monroe Collection, which claims to be the world’s largest private collection of Monroe’s personal property and archives, show that the 60-year-old dress has missing crystals and loose threads after it was worn by American celebrity Kim Kardashian on the Met Gala red carpet on May 2.
The pictures were reportedly taken at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Hollywood location where the dress was on display.
So far, there has been no statement from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! franchise or Kim Kardashian about the allegations.
The dress, designed by Jean Louis, was worn by Marilyn Monroe on May 19, 1962, during a fundraiser event in which Monroe sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”, to then US president John F. Kennedy. The delicate dress, embellished with over 2,000 hand-stitched crystals, was bought by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! franchise in 2016 for $4.8 million.
After Kim Kardashian loaned the dress from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! franchise, her move was criticised by fashion historians who raised the issue of the historical dress being damaged.
If you’re wondering how Marilyn Monroe’s dress got damaged. Rubbing and stretching it onto Kim Kardashian probably didn’t help.
This doesn’t look gentle. pic.twitter.com/zRq7fI4Kla— Christina (@murphystina) June 13, 2022
She did have a replica she got into for the party. She literally wore Marilyn’s dress only on the red carpet with the white coat cause she couldn’t fasten it. Where was the point pic.twitter.com/nQwGZx0bEJ
— Caity (@CaityTrina) June 13, 2022
Twitters nasty😭😭 pic.twitter.com/sLthZrMy2x
— merc; bsd s3 spoilers xen defender (@heizouhusbands) June 14, 2022
The news say “seems to be damage” when the dress is completely destroyed 😭
— TricicloBaby (@gabrielcaruso4) June 14, 2022
Kim should’ve never worn that dress to begin with. I mean yes it’s nice to pay homage to Marilyn but she could’ve had a new dress made and replicated. This was a timeless and iconic artifact that’s been ruined.
— ☆𝓙𝓪𝓱𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓶☆ (@jahkeemstar) June 13, 2022
Congratulations to the Met Gala for showcasing a real-life example of why a conservation department like the Costume Institute is necessary for historically significant garments. https://t.co/7scbAKC7kA
— Amanda Smith (@AmandaSmithSays) June 13, 2022
they really let her ruin a historical artifact for an underwhelming look that wasn’t even on-theme
— issa phae (@mizphantasm) June 13, 2022
In an interview with Vogue, Kardashian had said, “I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do.”
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PremiumKardashian also added that since the dress was not allowed to be altered, she had to lose weight to fit into it. She had changed into a replica of the dress after posing in the original at the Met Gala red carpet.
