Kim Kardashian accused of permanently damaging Marilyn Monroe dress worn at Met Gala 2022

A collector has said 'significant' damage has been done to the 1962 gown

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  Kim Kardashian wore a dress owned by Marilyn Monroe for the 2022 Met Gala. Reuters

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  The reality TV star accessorised the 1962 dress with a faux fur coat. Reuters

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  The dress is the exact piece Marilyn Monroe wore to sing 'Happy Birthday' to US president John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962. EPA

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  For the event, Kim Kardashian spent 14 hours dying her hair platinum blonde. AFP

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  The dress was designed for Marilyn Monroe by French costume designer Jean-Louis, based on a sketch by American fashion designer Bob Mackie. EPA

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  Kim Kardashian arrived at the 2022 Met Gala with boyfriend Pete Davidson. EPA

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  The dress is translucent and embellished with more than 6,000 crystals. EPA

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  Kim Kardashian said, in order to protect the vintage dress, she is not wearing any of the body make-up she usually does. Reuters

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  The custom piece is said to have cost Monroe $1,440. In 1999 it was sold at auction for $1.26 million and in 2016 it sold again for $4.6m. EPA

Kim Kardashian has caused “permanent damage” to the Marilyn Monroe dress she wore to the Met Gala in May, a collector has claimed.

Despite being worn by Kardashian for only a few minutes, the gown has been damaged, according to Scott Fortner, a private collector, authenticator and verifier of Monroe memorabilia. Citing recent photographs of the dress, he claims some crystals are missing, others have been “left hanging by a thread”, and the dress is stretched and misshapen.

Fortner posted images on social media, offering "before" and "after" shots, placed side by side to highlight damage he describes as “significant”.

A 'before' and 'after' image of the Marilyn Monroe dress, reportedly showing damage since it was worn by Kim Kardashian. Photo: The Marilyn Monroe Collection

He has also included video footage he took of the gown in 2016 for comparison.

Made in 1962 by fashion designer Bob Mackie, the sheer, crystal-covered dress was originally worn by Monroe to attend John F Kennedy’s 45th birthday, where she famously sang Happy Birthday Mr President.

Bought by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in 2016, the 60-year-old gown is now worth $4.8 million and is usually kept in a climate-controlled environment.

Marilyn Monroe sings 'Happy Birthday' *in 1962, to then US president John F Kennedy, at Madison Square Garden, for his 45th birthday. She is wearing the crystal-covered gown created by Bob Mackie. Photo: Bettmann Archive

For the Met Gala, however, Kardashian controversially wore the gown to climb the steps, before changing into a replica inside. She accessorised it with a white fur stole to disguise the fact she was unable to do up the zip at the back.

At a fitting a month before the event, Kardashian had reportedly realised the gown was too small for her. “When it didn’t fit me, I wanted to cry because it can’t be altered at all,” she said.

The celebrity then embarked on a highly restrictive vegetable-based diet — that included wearing a sauna suit — to lose more than seven kilograms in three weeks, drawing criticism from healthcare workers and other commentators for glamourising fad diets.

At the time of the Met Gala, the International Council of Museums expressed its unhappiness that the dress had been loaned out, stating that “historic garments should not be worn by anybody, public or private figures”, and that its owners had a duty to ensure it was “preserved for future generations”.

In response, Kardashian explained she was fully aware of the dress’s cultural importance. “I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history,” she said. “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 make-up I usually do.”

The reality TV star also later revealed she wore a second dress, also previously donned by Monroe, for the event’s after-party.

Kardashian posted pictures to Instagram of herself in a deep-green sequinned dress, designed by Norman Norell, which Monroe wore to the 1962 Golden Globes.

Kardashian was also able to track down the actual Golden Globe that Monroe was honoured with in that year.

"In my quest to find the Jean Louis hand-beaded dress that I wore to the gala, I discovered @heritageauctions owned Marilyn's iconic green-sequinned gown," she wrote. "Further into my research, I found out that the owner of the Golden Globe that she received that evening was none other than my friend @jeffleatham.

“I saw this all as a sign, the way that all of the stars aligned. It will forever be one of the greatest privileges of my life to be able to channel my inner Marilyn in this way, on such a special night. Thank you Heritage Auctions, Barbara Zweig and Jeff for helping to make this memory possible."

Natasha Poonawalla, the Indian businesswoman who made waves at the Met Gala — in pictures

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  Natasha Poonawalla in a Sabyasachi sari paired with an ornate Schiaparelli Couture corset. EPA

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  India businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla arrives at the In America: An Anthology of Fashion-themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, on Monday, May 2, 2022. Reuters

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  Poonawalla is the executive director of the Serum Institute of India and chairperson of Villoo Poonawalla Foundation. AFP

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  Poonawalla attends the 2022 Prince's Trust Gala at Cipriani 25 Broadway on April 28, 2022 in New York City. AFP

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  Poonawalla married Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India, in 2006. EPA

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  From left: Dua Lipa, Marcus Piggott, Kristen McMenamy, Mert Alas and Poonawalla attend a cocktail reception ahead of The Fashion Awards 2021 at London's Royal Albert Hall on November 29, 2021. Getty Images

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  Editor-in-chief of British 'Vogue', Edward Enninful, and Poonawalla attend an exclusive party hosted by Frieze and Versace to celebrate London's creative community at Toklas on October 15, 2021. Getty Images for Frieze

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  Poonawalla attends the British Vogue x Tiffany & Co. Fashion and Film party at The Londoner Hotel in London on September 20, 2021. Getty Images

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  Poonawalla attends the LuisaViaRoma for Unicef event at La Certosa di San Giacomo on July 31, 2021 in Capri, Italy. Getty Images for Luisaviaroma

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  Indian actress, model and singer Priyanka Chopra and Poonawalla on day 12 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 10, 2021. Getty Images

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  Poonawalla at the Exhibition Opening of L'Exibition[niste] by Christian Louboutin as part of Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 on February 24, 2020. Getty Images For Christian Louboutin

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  Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Royal Founding Patron of the British Asian Trust, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, meet American musician Katy Perry and Poonawalla as they arrive at a reception for supporters of the British Asian Trust in London on February 4, 2020. Getty Images

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  Kristina O'Neill, Poonawalla, Imran Amed and Nikhil Mansata at an intimate presentation and cocktail event in celebration of BoF China Prize 2018 winner, Caroline Hu. This was held at Hotel Ritz in Paris. Getty Images for The Business of Fashion

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  Evangelo Bousis, Natasha Poonawalla and Peter Dundas at the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. AFP

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  Poonawalla at Michael Muller's HEAVEN, presented by The Art of Elysium, on January 5, 2019 in Los Angeles. AFP

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  Serum Institute of India's Executive Director Adar Poonawalla and his wife Natasha launch the country's first nasal H1N1 vaccine, 'Nasovac', at a news conference in Mumbai on July 14, 2010. AFP