Kim Kardashian accused of damaging iconic dress at the Met Gala by Marilyn Monroe archivists

Kim Kardashian attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York.
Kim Kardashian attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York. Copyright Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
By Tim Gallagher with Reuters
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The dress that Monroe wore to serenade JF Kennedy is a piece of history, did Kardashian stretch her luck by wearing it?

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The Marilyn Monroe dress Kim Kardashian wore to the Met Gala has allegedly been damaged.

The Marilyn Monroe Collection called out Kardashian, along with Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum who loaned her the dress, for the alleged damage yesterday.

The crystal-studded gown, which Monroe wore to sing happy birthday to US President John F. Kennedy in 1962, was worn by Kardashian on the red carpet to one of the most prestigious and highly-anticipated celebrity events of the year.

Kardashian shed 16 pounds to fit into the dress which could not be altered due to its age and status.

Her boasting on this on the red carpet drew ire from commentators for her perceived glamorisation of extreme weight loss.

On the night Kardashian appeared with bleached blonde hair alongside her new partner, the Comedian Pete Davidson.

The business woman changed into a replica after walking the red carpet to protect the 60-year-old gown, but concerns were raised at the time about potential damage to an iconic piece of history. 

Is the Marilyn Monroe dress damaged?

Despite the pains taken by Kardashian and Ripley’s, officials at Scott Fortner's The Marilyn Monroe Collection (the world’s largest private collection of Marilyn memorabilia) have claimed it suffered some damage during the Met Gala outing.

On Monday, they shared a picture of the dress taken over the weekend at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood attraction, where it is currently on display. The image shows missing crystals and stretched fabric near the clasps at the back of the gown.

"So much for keeping 'the integrity of the dress and the preservation,'” said The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

“Was it worth it?"

The caption was followed by recent quotes from Ripley's officials explaining their preservation efforts for Kardashian’s red carpet appearance.

The collection then posted 'before' and 'after' photos with the caption, "Just in case you missed it… Missing crystals, and some left hanging by a thread.”

A video of the dress from 2016 was also shared to prove its condition prior to its sale to Ripley’s.

"This is 4K video that I took of the gown while it was on display at @juliens_auctions in November of 2016. Without question, the damage is significant," the caption reads.

Kardashian, who regularly courts controversy for cultural appropriation and promotion of an unhealthy body image, has yet to respond.

Ripley's officials are also yet to respond to the damage allegations.

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