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Marilyn Monroe’s Dress Is Allegedly Damaged Now

Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images

Kim Kardashian made headlines at the 2022 Met Gala when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" gown. Due to the fragility of the dress, and its historical significance, Kardashian only wore Monroe's gown as she walked the red carpet at the Met Gala. She changed into a replica for the rest of the night. Yet, the fact she wore it at all is causing outrage amongst conservators.

Photo credit: Bettmann - Getty Images
Photo credit: Bettmann - Getty Images

"I’m frustrated because it sets back what is considered professional treatment for historic costume," Sarah Scaturro, chief conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Art and formerly a conservator at the Met’s Costume Institute, told the LA Times. "In the ’80s, a bunch of costume professionals came together to state a resolution that historic costume should not be worn. So my worry is that colleagues in historic costume collections are now going to be pressured by important people to let them wear garments."

The dress is currently opened by Ripley's Believe It or Not. The "attractions company" acquired the dress for $5 million in 2016. According to Kardashian, when considering the theme of this year's Met Gala, the "most American" thing she could think of was Marilyn Monroe; hence, her decision to wear the dress.

"We just don’t wear archived historic pieces," Cara Varnell, an independent art conservator specializing in historic dress, also told the LA Times. "But something that’s archived means it has enough cultural importance that we value it and want to save it. The dress represents something very important — it’s part of our collective cultural heritage. I’m speechless over it."

It's not just conservators, but fashion historians and more are weighing in on how damaging the decision to allow Kardashian to wear the dress is.

Photo credit: KENA BETANCUR - Getty Images
Photo credit: KENA BETANCUR - Getty Images

"This is one of a kind, historical garment that should not leave the museum. For conservators, there are a lot of things they consider even before they even take any action to restore the dress. Sometimes they might even leave sweat stains in, because it's part of the integrity of the dress," fashion historian Keren Ben-Horin told the Daily Beast.

"Once a dress like that gets on the body, the body sweats, there is makeup," Ben-Horin continued. "You could see that when Kim Kardashian was going up the stairs, it was very hard for her to take big steps. The dress could have easily stained or ripped, and I think it was an unethical choice on their part to let the dress leave the museum."

Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images

Kardashian said she was mindful of the harm she could cause to the dress. "I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history," Kardashian told Vogue. "I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do. Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs."

"This was no easy decision for Ripley’s, however, Kim Kardashian has continued to show the utmost respect for this opportunity and historic garment," Ripley’s said in statement following the Met Gala. "From extensive research to following guidelines such as no body makeup, only wearing the dress for the short red-carpet appearance, and making absolutely no alterations, she has become a steward — and added to — its history."

In new photos shared to Twitter in June, however, the account @PopCrave showed side-by-side photos of the gown before and after Kim wore it, writing, "the dress now shows signs of tearing, and several crystals are either missing or hanging off of it."

One tweeter, Amanda Smith, retweeted PopCrave to add, "Congratulations to the Met Gala for showcasing a real-life example of why a conservation department like the Costume Institute is necessary for historically significant garments."

Three decades ago, in 1986, the Costume Society of America passed a resolution prohibiting wearing objects in collections, and writes in its mission statement, "CSA encourages persons and organizations charged with the preservation of costume to prohibit the wearing or modeling of articles intended for preservation."

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