Kim Kardashian did not damage Marilyn’s Monroe’s dress at the Met Gala, according to the museum that owns it.
Last month, the reality star stepped out on the Met Gala 2022 red carpet wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic 1962 ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ dress.
The 41-year-old revealed she had lost 16 pounds in three weeks in order to fit into the figure-hugging outfit, which she only wore for a few minutes on the red carpet.
No adjustments were allowed to be made to the multi-million dollar dress, as per agreement when it was sold at auction to Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum.
Kim candidly revealed that regardless of the weight loss, she was unable to zip the dress up completely, and resorted to wearing a faux fur coat to cover the back.
On Monday, Pop Culture shared photos of the dress, allegedly from before and after Kim wore it to the Met Gala.
The latter showed signs of damage to the dress, including tearing and missing crystals, particularly around the dress’ back closure.
Kim Kardashian may have damaged Marilyn Monroe Met Gala dress: claim https://t.co/xO3LkpoNiB pic.twitter.com/bqlriDLNz1
— New York Post (@nypost)
When the dress was returned to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum, they stated that “no damage” had occurred to the garment.
However, the museum has since released a further statement on their website, addressing accusations Kim damaged the dress.
The statement reads: “Kim Kardashian wearing the ‘Happy Birthday’ dress has been hotly contested, but the fact remains that she did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.”
“From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in,” said Amanda Joiner, Ripley’s Vice President of Publishing and Licensing, who looked after the dress on the day.
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Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum bought the dress at auction in 2016 for $4.8 million.
In 2017, a report of the dress’ condition said: “A number of the seams are pulled and worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is.”
At that time, there was already “puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,” the museum’s website said.
Speaking to Vogue ahead of the Met Gala party, Kim stated: “I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history.”
“I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do.”
The reality star has made no public comment on the controversy.
