Iconic Marilyn Monroe Dress Badly Damaged After Kim Kardashian Wears It to Met Gala: REPORT
Kim Kardashian has been accused of damaging Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress that she wore while making an entrance at the 2022 Met Gala.
The reality TV star and mogul arrived at this year's event wearing the nude sequined gown that Monroe wore when she serenaded John F. Kennedy in 1962. Designed by Jean Louis, it is known as "the most expensive dress sold at auction" after it was acquired for $4.8 million in 2016, according to Vogue.
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum loaned the gown to Kardashian after she reportedly lost 16 pounds to fit into it. She only wore it briefly on the red carpet and claimed she took multiple precautions to preserve the timeless sartorial piece.
"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,” Kardashian told Vogue.
However, photos circulating online seem to suggest that it was damaged when it was worn.
An Instagram account called @marilynmonroecollection shared a post that showed what the dress looked like before and after Kardashian wore it to the Met Gala.
In the photo taken after the event, it appears that the fabric along the zipper has been damaged and is fraying. Several crystals also appear to have fallen off. Other beads appear to be "hanging on by a thread."
Check out the photos below:
The photos sparked outrage online.
"I need to go lay down," one Twitter user wrote.
"It's not about the actual dress," another wrote. "It's about the meaning. marilyn was used all her life, she hardly had anything that was truly her own. This dress, it was hers. it was designed specifically an ONLY for her. now it's ruined."
Others noted that Kardashian alone was not responsible for the decision and pointed out that Ripley's allowed the loan to happen.
"And this is why every historical garment archivist and textile expert about had a coronary seeing Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Monroe's dress," someone pointed out.
However, Project Runway All Stars alum Sam Donovan called some of the damage into question.
"As someone who thinks the kardashians are the quintessential representation of the rotting societal structure of America, the pre-met photo is edited to death and the post-met photo is a close up." He noted that the zipper did appeared unharmed.
He also pointed out that the dress "was already doing decaying" and that Kardashian likely "exacerbated the issue by millimeters."
Page Six reached out to Ripley's for a comment, but the outlet did not hear back. The museum previously noted that the dress suffered "no damage" from its outing.
Kardashian's decision to wear the dress and Ripley's decision to loan it to her had already caused controversy online prior to the recent circulation of photos showing alleged damaged. According to the Daily Mail, fashion archivists took issue with anyone wearing the vintage piece and warned that it could be damaged.
The star was also criticized by the likes of Lili Reinhart for broadcasting how much weight she had to lose to fit the dress. Kardashian defended the decision in an interview with The New York Times and compared it to an actor gaining or losing weight for a role.
Although the decision certainly caused controversy, TMZ notes Monroe's estate believed the late legend would have approved of Kardashian taking the dress out of retirement.
Kardashian also wore another dress of Monroe's at the Met Gala: the green gown Monroe wore to the Golden Globes in 1962.
"It will forever be one of the greatest privileges of my life to be able to channel my inner Marilyn in this way, on such a special night," Kardashian wrote alongside photos of herself and Monroe wearing the dress on Instagram.
Check out the pics below:
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Gallery Credit: Jacklyn Krol