The saga continues. Kim Kardashian has been accused of causing additional damage to Marilyn Monroe‘s sparkly Bob Mackie dress.
After reporting missing crystals and tears at the zipper on Monday, June 14, collector Scott Fortner posted photos via his Instagram Story that showed rips in the sleeve of the historic design after Kardashian, 41, wore the number to the 2022 Met Gala. Fortner also uploaded a before photo, that showed the same area of the dress completely intact. Elsewhere on his Instagram Story, the fashion archivist shared a before and after image of the bottom of the gown. In the after shot, the dress seems to be missing jewels and is slightly frayed.
In his initial post, Fortner shared an image of the back of the dress on display in 2016 and one taken on June 12. In the latter photo, the look showed signs of pulling and distress. “Was it worth it?” Fortner wrote in the caption of the post, tagging Ripley’s Believe It or Not! — the gallery that acquired the gown for $4.8 million in 2016.
The museum loaned Kardashian the dress to wear to fashion’s biggest night on May 2. Ripley’s later released a statement, revealing that no alterations had been made to the dress and that the Skims founder had changed into a replica after wearing the number on the red carpet.
“Great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop culture history,” the center said in a statement on social media: “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.”
Because the dress could not be altered, the beauty mogul underwent an intense weight-loss regimen. “I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein … I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict,” she told Vogue in a conversation published on May 2. In a different interview with the fashion magazine, the Selfish author revealed she had to “lose 16 pounds … to be able to fit” into the design.
Kardashian told the outlet that she was “extremely respectful to the dress” and “would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it.”
Still, the incident has left many, including Mackie himself, outraged.
“I thought it was a big mistake,” the designer told Entertainment Weekly last month. “[Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just fabulous. Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.”
Kardashian has not yet commented on the alleged damage.