Kim Kardashian did not destroy Marilyn Monroe's iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress at the Met Gala, Ripley's Believe It or Not! said.
While Kardashian’s presence at the Met Gala this May caused a commotion, her choice to wear Monroe’s breathtaking gown caused a divide online.
A Monroe historian took to Instagram as the online debate heated up, suggesting Kardashian caused "significant" damage.
"Without question, the damage is significant," Scott Fortner, a Monroe historian who oversees the Marilyn Monroe Collection, wrote in one post. He compared images before and after, pointing out "missing crystals, and some left hanging by a thread" in the after image.
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Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum lent the dress to Kardashian. They bought the dress in a 2016 auction for $4.8 million, and the gown is now valued at $10 million according to Ripley.
In a statement made Thursday, Ripley stated that Kardashian “did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.”
Ripley reported the condition of the dress in 2017, “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.”
“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,” said Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner in a statement posted online.
Kardashian wore the dress for photo ops at the Met Gala, and then changed into a replica for the rest of the event.
The gown is now on exhibit at The Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood through the fall.
Fortner did not immediately respond to requests for comment to the original story.
