Kim Kardashian did not damage Marilyn Monroe dress worn at Met Gala 2022, says Ripley's

The franchise said the garment is 'in the same condition it started in'

Kim Kardashian wore a dress owned by Marilyn Monroe for the 2022 Met Gala. Reuters

The reality TV star accessorised the 1962 dress with a faux fur coat. Reuters

The dress is the exact piece Marilyn Monroe wore to sing 'Happy Birthday' to US president John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962. EPA

For the event, Kim Kardashian spent 14 hours dying her hair platinum blonde. AFP

The dress was designed for Marilyn Monroe by French costume designer Jean-Louis, based on a sketch by American fashion designer Bob Mackie. EPA

Kim Kardashian arrived at the 2022 Met Gala with boyfriend Pete Davidson. EPA

The dress is translucent and embellished with more than 6,000 crystals. EPA

Kim Kardashian said, in order to protect the vintage dress, she is not wearing any of the body make-up she usually does. Reuters

The custom piece is said to have cost Monroe $1,440. In 1999 it was sold at auction for $1.26 million and in 2016 it sold again for $4.6m. EPA

Ripley's Believe It or Not! says it is "confident" that it did not cause damage to the historic Marilyn Monroe dress worn by Kim Kardashian at this year's Met Gala in May.

The franchise said despite the controversy over the reality TV star's wearing of the dress at the exclusive fashion event in New York, the garment was "in the same condition it started in".

Outrage was sparked after photos posted online by collector Scott Fortner appeared to show damage to the back of the gown after the gala.

Fortner told PA that Ripley's had been "irresponsible" to loan the dress to Kardashian and that its only intention had been "publicity" rather than preserving the historical item.

In a lengthy response posted on its website, Ripley's said that the row had in fact highlighted the dress's importance.

"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," the franchise wrote.

"Our mission is to both entertain and educate visitors and fans, and sparking conversations like the discourse around Marilyn Monroe's dress does just that.

"No matter which side of the debate you are on, the historical importance of the dress has not been negated, but rather highlighted.

"An entirely new group of young people has now been introduced to the legacy of Marilyn Monroe.

"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.

Ripley's said its vice president of publishing and licensing, Amanda Joiner, who had overseen the dress's transportation to and from the Met Gala had noted that "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".

The company said it had not paid Kardashian to wear the dress, nor had she paid them, but she had made a donation to two charities in the greater Orlando area on behalf of the company.

"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," it said.

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