Fashion experts say Kim Kardashian could ruin Marilyn Monroe’s cultural heritage dress.

On the red carpet of the 2022 Met Gala in New York on May 2, Kim Kardashian attracted attention when she wore a vintage dress designed by Jean Louis. The outfit was worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at President John F. Kennedy’s birthday party on May 19, 1962. The design was originally priced at $12,000. In November 2016, Ripley’s Believe It or Not (Ripley’s) successfully hammered the dress for $4.81 million at an auction organized by Julien’s Auctions, making it one of the most expensive iconic dresses in the world.

According to the Los Angeles Times, textile conservators and fashion curators were horrified when they saw Kim on the red carpet. “I’m disappointed that the dress was handled so unprofessionally,” said Sarah Scaturro, head of conservatorship at the Cleveland Museum of Art. “In the 1980s, a group of costume experts came together and decided that historical costumes should not be worn.” Scaturro also worried that Kim’s sweat and perfume could damage the dress.

“You have a vintage Charles James dress hanging in your closet and you want to wear it, that’s fine,” said Cara Varnell, a longtime independent art conservator specializing in historical costumes. “But something that’s been archived, meaning it has some cultural significance, that’s not the case. Marilyn Monroe’s dress represents something very important – it’s part of our shared cultural heritage.”

“Gravity and movement can cause a lot of damage,” Kevin Jones, curator of the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, told the Los Angeles Times. “You might not see it with the naked eye, but under a microscope, you’ll see tiny splits and cracks in the dress. The design represents a moment in history. Our job is to bring garments like this to the next generation with as little damage as possible, so that 500 years from now, they can tell us about the history of design, technology, art and culture.”

After Kim Kardashian wore her Marilyn Monroe dress to the 2022 Met Gala, the design frayed and some crystals fell off.

On June 13, collector Scott Fortner posted on his personal page a photo of the Marilyn Monroe dress taken by visual artist and creative director ChadMichael Morrisette. The photo compares the design before and after Kim Kardashian wore it to the Met Gala in early May.

According to Fortner, when Marilyn Monroe learned that she would be performing at President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 birthday party, she contacted Jean Louis and said, “I want you to design a historic, gorgeous, one-of-a-kind dress that only I can wear.” In Jean Louis’ studio, Marilyn stood naked in the middle of the room while the designer used the draping technique – wrapping fabric and positioning it directly onto the body or mannequin. The technique helped the dress fit and precisely follow Marilyn’s every curve. He used a tan fabric imported from France, layered in a calculated way so that the star did not need to wear a bra.

The dress fit Marilyn to the millimeter, making it impossible for anyone else to fit. Fortner asserted: “In this case, Kim Kardashian’s measurements and proportions are different from Marilyn’s. Logically, the fabric and seams were stretched.”

Also on People, creative director Morrisette said she visited the dress on display at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (Ripley’s) museum in Hollywood, California, on June 12 and noticed the damage. In addition to a few missing crystals, the dress also had some small tears along the zipper seam. Meanwhile, after the Met Gala, a Ripley’s representative told the Los Angeles Times “no damage occurred” after Kim wore the dress.

“I was hired by Julien’s Auctions in 2016 to display the historic dress and all of Marilyn Monroe’s auction items,” Morrisette said. “I’ve handled more of her belongings than anyone else in the world: her driver’s license, her high school yearbook, her Korean ID. I’ve touched everything that was ever sold, including that dress. I know the dress and the damage was obvious. I left Ripley’s gallery in tears. I covered my mouth, trying to hold it back, because I couldn’t believe it.”