Kim Kardashian’s decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” gown to the Met Gala in May is once again coming under scrutiny, with many online, including a Monroe historian, suggesting she damaged the gown.
Kardashian borrowed the dress from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum, which bought it from a 2016 auction for $4.8 million. Designed by Jean Louis, the dress was originally worn by Monroe to President John F. Kennedy’s birthday fundraiser in 1962. The gown is “now valued at over $10 million,” according to Ripley’s.
On Wednesday, Scott Fortner, a Monroe historian who oversees the Marilyn Monroe Collection, which collects the actor’s personal property and archives, shared several photos on Instagram that appear to show the gown’s condition before and after the Met Gala.
“Without question, the damage is significant,” Fortner wrote in one post, noting that there are “missing crystals, and some left hanging by a thread” in the after image. The image was sent to him by ChadMichael Morrisette, who took the photo of it while it was on display at Ripley’s Hollywood location on June 12.
Fortner did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Morrisette confirmed to NBC News he took the photo at the Ripley’s Museum in Hollywood on Sunday and sent it to Fortner.
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