Just when you thought the Marilyn Monroe/Kim Kardashian dress saga had ended (did anyone really think that?), the drama continues! This time, Ripley’s is firing back at Monroe historians and collectors who claim that Kardashian ruined the $4.8 million dress when she wore it on the Met Gala red carpet, which was over a month ago, in case you are keeping track.
After The Marilyn Monroe Collection spotted noticeable differences in the fabric of the dress, they shifted the blame to Ripley’s, who granted Kardashian access to the iconic gown. Everyone weighed in, including some Monroe historians and Trevor Noah, of course, and it was revealed that Ripley’s was even advised against loaning the dress for fear of it being damaged further. Social media users took to Twitter to blast both Kardashian and Ripley’s though Ripley’s is not taking this laying down.
The company released a statement saying that there was no more damage done to the dress when Kardashian wore it, and while the dress is damaged, it has been that way since before Ripley’s even acquired the dress in 2016. A source stated: “A report written on the dress’s condition in early 2017 states, ‘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’ among other instances of damage.’”
Ripley’s VP of Publishing Amanda Joiner added, “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.” Kardashian wore a fur jacket over the back, to cover up the parts that didn’t zip. Despite the ordeal, and with a ton of Marilyn media coverage as of late, it’s sad that the public cannot just let this poor woman rest!