Museum denies that Kim Kardashian damaged Marilyn Monroe’s dress

AFP

Kim Kardashian, 41, did not damage the Marilyn Monroe dress she wore to the Met Gala in New York, the museum to which the piece belongs said on Thursday (16). It was a response to complaints made by fans on social media about the condition of the play.

The socialite drew attention last month when she appeared at the event wearing the outfit the actress wore when she sang for then-President John F. Kennedy on his birthday in 1962.

This week, a collector of Monroe memorabilia complained that the dress had been ripped and posted what he said were before and after photos of Kardashian’s use. The image shows small tears in the fabric and several crystals missing or hanging off.

The Los Angeles-based museum Ripley’s Believe It or Not! rejected the collector’s claims, saying the reality TV star had not damaged the dress.

“Kim Kardashian’s use of the ‘Happy Birthday’ dress has been much questioned, but the fact is that she in no way damaged the piece in the short time she wore it to the Met Gala,” the museum said on its website.

After Kardashian wore it, “the dress was in the same condition” as before, said Amanda Joiner, Ripley’s vice president of publishing and licensing, who inspected the garment that day.

The museum bought the dress at an auction in 2016 for US$4.8 million (more than R$24 million at current exchange rates).

A report on its condition written in 2017 says: “several seams are pulled and frayed. This is not surprising given the delicacy of the material.” At that time, there were already “creases in the back from using the hooks to close it,” the museum’s website said.

Kardashian, who followed a strict diet to be able to wear the mythical dress, did not react to the controversy on her social networks.