A Marilyn Monroe historian shared photos on Instagram that appear to show the gown’s condition before and after the Met Gala. 'Without question, the damage is significant,' Scott Fortner wrote.
Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian attend The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York.Kim Kardashian's decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” gown to the Met Gala in May is once again coming under scrutiny, with many online, including a Monroe historian, suggesting she damaged the gown.
Kim Kardashian attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York.“On both sides of the zipper, the fabric was completely frayed like shredded chicken,” said Morrisette, a visual artist and costume expert who said he helped display the dress for the 2016 auction that Ripley’s bought it from.
A spokesperson for Ripley's did not respond to request for comment or to verify that it is indeed an up-to-date image of the dress. The"Marilyn Monroe Memorabilia" but does not specify what is on display. An employee of the Hollywood location confirmed via phone that the dress is currently there, but referred NBC News to the PR team for further information and comment.
Others posted images of other unrelated, famous garments, like Björk's swan dress, joking that it's"another dress ruined by Kim Kardashian."after the Met Gala that there were hesitations about Kardashian wearing the dress initially, given that it had"rarely been separated from its dress form, let alone worn by anyone other than Monroe."
Scaturro, now the Eric and Jane Nord chief conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Art, said she's seen images of the alleged damage to the dress online, but has not examined it herself in person.