Kim Kardashian ‘didn’t damage Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress’ at Met Gala, Ripley’s bosses confirm-Rishma Dosani-Entertainment – Metro

Kim Kardashian sparked controversy with her Met Gala outfit (Pictures: Getty / Instagram / marilynmonroecollection)

Kim Kardashian has been defended by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum over the decision to wear the iconic Marilyn Monroe dress to the Met Gala.

There has been a huge amount of discussion surrounding the 41-year-old donning the late Hollywood legend’s gown at the exclusive event last month, where she was joined by Pete Davidson on the red carpet.

Following her appearance, new pictures and videos appearing to show the ‘damage’ that was done to the outfit following the reality star’s brief stint in front of the cameras sparked fresh outrage on social media.

However, Ripley’s bosses have now addressed the controversy in a new statement, insisting that she did not damage the dress, which the late star famously wore to serenade John F Kennedy on his birthday in 1962.

‘Kim Kardashian’s walk up the Metropolitan Museum’s stairs at this year’s Met Gala caused quite the stir, but one thing Ripley’s Believe It or Not! can say with confidence is that it did not cause damage to Marilyn Monroe’s famed “Happy Birthday” dress from 1962,’ it read.

‘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.’

Kim famously wore Marilyn’s dress for a few minutes on the red carpet (Picture: Getty)

Marilyn wore the gown in 1962 to serenade President John F Kennedy (Picture: Getty)

‘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,’ Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner continued.

Ripley’s acquired the outfit in 2016, and the statement pointed towards a 2017 report on its condition, which said that ‘a number of the seams are pulled and worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is. There is puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes’.

They also insisted that they did not pay Kim to wear the gown and she did not offer them money, instead she chose to make a donation to two charities on behalf of the company.

Bosses explained that the move highlighted the importance of the dress as a new group of people have been introduced to Marilyn’s legacy.

An Instagram account appeared to show the damage that was done (Picture: Instagram/ marilynmonroecollection)

‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not! will continue to exhibit the dress – in as-is condition – at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Hollywood through Fall 2022,’ the message concluded.

Kim wore the historical gown on the red carpet at the Met Gala in New York last month, revealing that she had lost 16lbs in a bid to fit into it – as no alterations could be made.

A statement from Ripley’s previously read: ‘Great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop culture history.

‘With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, and archivists, the garment’s condition was top priority.

‘Believe It or Not! no alterations were to be made to the dress and Kim even changed into a replica after the red carpet!⁠’

Amanda added to Slate.com: ‘We basically had many conversations with Kim and her team and put a lot of requirements in place with security and with the handling of the dress.

Ripley’s bosses have defended the reality star over the move (Picture: Getty)

‘The dress was never with Kim alone. It was always with a Ripley’s representative. We always ensured that at any time we felt that the dress was in danger of ripping or we felt uncomfortable about anything, we always had the ability to be able to say we not were going to continue with this.’

Fans were left divided over the move and were furious when pictures and video footage appeared to show some wear and tear following the event.

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Instagram account @marilynmonroecollection shared two side-by-side close-up shots of the diamante and sequin detailing on the gown this week, informing followers: ‘Just in case you missed it… Missing crystals, and some left hanging by a thread.’

They added: ‘@ripleysbelieveitornot, Was it worth it?’

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