Kim Kardashian made waves at the Met gala last month when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s stunning dress for the event. However since then there have been rumours that the reality show star and style icon damaged the dress in the process.
The owners however recently came forth to refute claims of any damage. The dress which currently belongs to Ripley’s Believe it or Not! , said they were confident that Kardashian did not in any way damage the garment.
The iconic dress was first worn by Monroe in 1962. She wore it while singing Happy Birthday to John F. Kennedy. It was purchased for a sum of £3.8m in 2016.
Allegations of damage occurred as a result of photographs posted on Instagram by Monroe collector, Scott Fortner who claimed that there was significant damage to the dress.
The photos indicated severe buckling rippling and loss of some of the crystals that were sewn onto the dress. There was also damage to the shoulder straps in the video footage shared by author Darrell Rooney.
Kardashian received flak for wanting to wear the dress and practically starving herself to be able to squeeze into it last month. She changed into a replica of the dress after the red carpet event.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, issued a statement on June 16 defending its decision to loan out the dress.
”Kim Kardashian’s walk up the Metropolitan Museum’s stairs at this year’s Met Gala caused quite the stir, but one thing Ripley’s Believe it of Not!, can say with confidence is that it did not cause damage to the Marilyn Monroe’s famed ‘Happy Birthday’ dress from 1962,” it said.
“Our mission is to both entertain and educate visitors and fans, and sparkling conversations like the discourse around Marilyn Monroe’s dress does just that.
“No matter which side of the debate you are on, the historical importance of the dress has not been negated, but rather highlighted. An entirely new group of young people have now been introduced to the legacy of Marilyn Monroe.”
In fact great pains were taken to ensure the dress remains in good condition, the organizers went so far as to install a special fitting room near the bottom of the Met Gala red carpet steps so Kardashian would not need to travel in a car or walk far while wearing the dress.