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When Kim Kardashian wore the iconic gown once worn by Marilyn Monroe to serenade President John F Kennedy to the Met Gala last month, people were surprised.
On one hand, there’s no denying she looked amazing, but on the other hand, shouldn’t more care be taken with that dress?
Bob Mackie—the legendary costume designer who sketched the gown in 1962 for the dress' designer Jean Louis—said "no" to that question.
Mackie said of Kardashian borrowing the iconic ensemble:
"I thought it was a big mistake. [Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just fabulous."
"Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her."
"Nobody else should be seen in that dress."
That wisdom of the decision to loan Kardashian the gown is being questioned even more, now that a memorabilia expert alleged Kardashian’s romp in the dress has done extensive damage to it.
This was revealed in a series of Instagram Photos posted by The Marilyn Monroe Collection.
The images in the above Instagram post purport to show damage done to the dress.
The newer photos show more beading had fallen off since the gown was acquired in 2016, with some jewels now hanging by a thread as well as damage to one of the straps.
Obvious tearing in the "silk souffle" fabric near the zipper and clasp enclosures is also visible. The tears are considered unrepairable as the specialty French-made silk weave fabric from 60 years ago is no longer produced—it was specifically banned in the United States because it is highly flammable.
The older photos show how the Jean Louis one of a kind gown looked before the Met Gala.
While Kardashian made a splash when she wore the same gown Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday" to JFK for his 45th birthday at Madison Square Garden in 1962, some are left confused.
Why would Kardashian be allowed to wear this 60-year-old silk gown and possibly ruin it?
\u201cThe shaaaaade \ud83d\ude29\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— EileenMarina\ud83d\udc51\u262e\ufe0f (@EileenMarina\ud83d\udc51\u262e\ufe0f) 1655259720
\u201cIf you\u2019re wondering how Marilyn Monroe\u2019s dress got damaged. Rubbing and stretching it onto Kim Kardashian probably didn\u2019t help. \nThis doesn\u2019t look gentle.\u201d— Christina (@Christina) 1655159555
\u201cPre and post Kim Kardashian. Marilyn Monroe\u2019s 4 million dollar president dress is destroyed forever. For what? We have no respect for anything anymore as long as it they get the gram.\u201d— suzie kennedy (@suzie kennedy) 1655126982
\u201c@stardust32214 @nypost Exactly!!!\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1655151594
\u201cThese photos of the damage done to Marilyn Monroe\u2019s dress before and after it was worn by Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala\u2026 I need to go lay down\u201d— Sarah McGonagall (@Sarah McGonagall) 1655138505
\u201cHow is this family not cursed yet?\u201d— Roach Patrol (@Roach Patrol) 1655185859
Kardashian had reportedly put a lot of effort into preparing to wear the gown. She went on a crash diet to lose 16 pounds, but even then the dress barely zipped.
She reportedly told a friend:
“It was like a role. I was determined to do it.”
According to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!—the company that owns the dress—Kardashian had only worn the gown for the red carpet reveal then changed into a replica for the rest of the night.
Ripley’s also insisted “great care was taken” to preserve the dress, despite allowing the reality star to wear it to the Met Gala. Since then, the company has not commented on possible damage to the dress.
The whole situation got a lot of people thinking about the cultural importance of such an item.
\u201cThe reason it's so upsetting Kim Kardashian ruined Marilyn Monroe's dress isn't actually about the dress - it's that Marilyn was as intelligent, kind woman who was used, abused and exploited her whole life and even in death is still being so disrespected\u201d— Mother \ud83c\udf3b\ud83e\udd82 (@Mother \ud83c\udf3b\ud83e\udd82) 1655233705
\u201cI don\u2019t think Kim Kardashian wearing Monroe\u2019s dress is some earth shattering deal. I do think it\u2019s yet more evidence that what should belong to all of us, our cultural inheritance, the commons, do not exist. The dress should have been ours, and it\u2019s fucking weird that it wasn\u2019t\u201d— Big Joel (@Big Joel) 1655242334
\u201c@BoilerGram @nypost right like when you find an old piece of clothing in the closet and it has no elasticity\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1655151594
\u201cno offense but i literally could not care less that kim kardashian messed up marilyn monroe\u2019s dress. i will never afford a home\u201d— trash jones (@trash jones) 1655207983
\u201c@VanellaGroup @nypost The fabric is a souffl\u00e9 gauze that is no longer made.\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1655151594
\u201cThis is appalling. It is also apalling that the #Ripley museum let her wear and damage Marilyn's iconic gown in the first place! Pay for repair and cover the damages @KimKardashian Money doesn't give you liscense to destroy historical items. #MarilynMonroe #KimKardashian\u201d— Charisse Van Horn (@Charisse Van Horn) 1655292128
While there’s clearly damage in the photos after the dress was worn to the Met Gala, it’s difficult to say how much was actually done from that specific act.
The “pre-Met Gala” photo used in the Instagram post has been accused of being edited and touched up. Only the 2016 auction listing photos from when the dress was purchased can be authenticated.
Since then there has been obvious damage from wear and tear.