Just a month after Kim Kardashian strutted down the red carpet in a dress once worn by Marilyn Monroe, the reality star-turned business entrepreneur is facing some major backlash for potentially damaging the iconic dress. Kim already met tons of criticism for originally digging the dress out of the vault and wearing it to the Met - but let's face it, she absolutely killed it. However, according to a Marilyn Monroe collector, Kim allegedly caused some damage to the dress.
This year's Met Gala theme was America: An Anthology of Fashion, so, Kim needed a fit to outdo last year's Balenciaga ensemble. So naturally, she borrowed the "world's most expensive dress" worn by Marilyn Monroe in 1962 when she sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy. Despite the uproar following her red carpet debut and the 16 pounds she dropped to fit in the dress, Kim assured the world she would take care of the dress and follow all the guidelines given to her by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum, which currently houses the dress. Kardashian even had a replica made for her once she took pictures in the dress on the carpet!
According to the museum's vice president of licensing and publishing, Amanda Joiner, once Kim requested to wear the dress, it was a difficult decision to let her wear it. Still, after "many conversations" with the superstar and putting "a lot of requirements in place with security and with the handling of the dress," they allowed her to wear it with absolutely no alterations. According to a Ripleys press release following the Met, "Kim Kardashian has continued to show the utmost respect for this opportunity and historic garment" and returned the dress with "no damages."
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However, a Marilyn Monroe collector has called out Kim for permanently damaging the dress after she wore it on the carpet and to Ripleys for allowing her to wear it. The collector has taken to the 'gram to post before and after pictures of the dress, writing the dress has "missing crystals and some left hanging by a thread," calling the damage "significant." The collector continued to tag the museum, asking if it was "worth it" in the end to allow her to wear it. Yikes. Stay tuned while this story develops.