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| ‘I’m extremely respectful to the dress’ … Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala in May. Photograph: John Nacion/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock |
Kim Kardashian allegedly caused "permanent damage" to the classic outfit Monroe wore to serenade John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday, soon before the actor's death, according to a Marilyn Monroe collector.
Kardashian wore the gown to the Met Gala last month, but photos taken in the last week by Scott Fortner, a collector who works to identify and verify Monroe artifacts, appeared to show stretched and buckled fabric on the back of the gown, as well as missing crystals.
Rips, strains, and significant wear and tear can be seen on the dress, which also appears to be missing some crystals with others "hanging by a thread" in the photographs shared on Instagram on Monday.
The dress's owner, Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, was quoted in the post as saying at the time that "great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop-cultural history." The garment's condition was a primary focus, with assistance from garment conservationists, appraisers, and archivists... The gown was not to be altered, and Kim even changed into a copy after the red carpet!
Kardashian walked down the red carpet in a $4.8 million crystal-covered nude silk gown for the event in early May. She paired the outfit with a white fur stole since she couldn't pull the back zipper up.
Kardashian realized her expectation that the gown would slide on during a fitting more than a month before the gala and was optimistic during a fitting more than a month before the event. "I wanted to weep when it didn't fit since it can't be adjusted at all," she added.
She then embarked on an aggressive weight-loss regimen to get into the garment, which included a vegetarian diet, a lot of treadmill time, and donning a sauna suit twice a day. “It was such a challenge,” she remarked. "I was determined to fit into it since it was like a character."
Kardashian's show was panned by medical specialists, and her obviously obsessive need to wear a dead woman's garment did not go down well.
"Historical clothes should not be worn by anyone, public or private persons," the International Council of Museums stated. They went on to say that while the clothing was owned by a private collector, its legacy "must be considered as belonging to mankind" and the object "kept conserved for future generations."
Since the tourist attraction purchased the outfit in 2016, it has been maintained in a temperature-controlled facility. Between Monroe and Kardashian, no one had ever worn it.
Kardashian defended her sartorial choice ahead of her appearance. She said, "I'm extremely respectful of the dress and what it represents in American history." "I'd never want to sit in it, dine in it, or risk damaging it in any way, and I won't be applying the type of body cosmetics I normally do."
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