Kim Kardashian Left Marilyn Monroe Dress In Sorry State, Say Expert

Kim Kardashian Left Marilyn Monroe Dress In 'Heartbreaking' State, Expert Says

A costume display expert said Marilyn Monroe’s iconic 1962 dress has been “completely altered” and lost its “magic moment” after Kim Kardashian wore it to the Met Gala in May.

Kardashian and the dress’s owner, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, have been under fire after recently surfaced pictures revealed alleged damage to the dress.

Monroe wore the dress ― fitted with 2,500 rhinestones on a nude-colored fabric ― to President John F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday celebration, where she famously sang a sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

ChadMichael Morrisette, a visual artist who regularly helps handle and display costumes, said he spotted the damage on a recent visit to Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Los Angeles.

He later shared images of what he spotted with the Marilyn Monroe Collection.

"I know the dress very well, I’v ine seen it many times, I’ve photographed it many times, I have plenty of photographic evidence of what’s different now,” Morrisette, a Monroe fan, told HuffPost.

The dress was designed to be skin-tight on Monroe’s body, he said.

The dress’s patches and panels have been pulled to the point of being “bubbled, ripped” and “tattered,” according to the expert.

There are also a number of missing crystal beads, he said.

He said he’s curious why Met Gala co-chair Anna Wintour and others at the event allowed Kardashian to wear the dress, which he said is the most expensive dress in the world.

HuffPost reached out to Kardashian, the Met Gala and Ripley’s for comment.

Back in 2016, Morrisette said he curated an exhibition that put thousands of Monroe’s personal items on display ― including the dress ― for Julien’s Auctions.

He said he staged and created “a museum” for people to view the “Some Like It Hot” actor’s history in 2016.

“I got to put this dress forth to the public and treat it respect and dignity and awe,” Morrisette said.

Ripley’s bought the dress that night for $4.8 million.

A number of internet users have weighed in on a video taken of Kardashian in the dress prior to the Met Gala and believe it to be evidence of an already “ruined” dress, Buzzfeed News reported.

Those worries don’t hold up for Morrisette, however, who said Kardashian already tried on the dress in Calabasas prior to the video.

“That [damage] is because of her. She already tried to squeeze it up her body, and she decided to lose 16 pounds” to wear it, he said.

“And the fact that it’s hanging on a wooden hanger [in the video] is outrageous. That is not how you treat a garment that has that weight, those crystals and that delicacy, it’s unbelievable that it’s not being laid flat.”

Morrisette, in an Instagram post earlier this week, wrote that the dress is a “piece” of his life and described its current state as heartbreaking to him.

Kardashian looked “stunning” in the replica dress, he said, but he’s unsure what she can do in response to the original dress’s current state other than “take accountability.”

“But it doesn’t change the reality of what happened... that this dress is completely altered,” Morrisette said.

“It doesn’t have that magic moment anymore.”

Source: Huffpost