LOOK: Marilyn Monroe 1962 dress allegedly damaged after Kim Kardashian's Met Gala appearance
More than a month after Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe's gown to the 2022 Met Gala, there are now reports that the dress had been damaged.
Kardashian attended the 2022 Met Gala with the theme "America: An Anthology of Fashion" wearing the iconic dress Monroe wore when she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to US President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
The reality star paired the shimmering champagne dress by Jean Louise with a bleached updo and a white shawl as she walked the red carpet with her boyfriend, Pete Davidson.
Now, reports are coming forward that the dress underwent damage when it was returned to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum where it had been preserved over the years.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Marilyn Monroe Collection (@marilynmonroecollection)
In the before and after photos shared by The Marilyn Monroe Collections, some crystals are seen removed from the backside, while some seams are torn from the zipper.
Kardashian had shared that she underwent a dramatic weight loss of 16 pounds to fit into the dress. She also defended that she was "extremely respectful" of the relic.
"I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history," she told Vogue before the event. "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."
Meanwhile, other photos have surfaced on social media of the before and after photos of the dress displayed in the Ripleys Museum.
Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress has reportedly been damaged after being worn by Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala.
The dress now shows signs of tearing, and several crystals are either missing or hanging off of it. pic.twitter.com/cFu1lUBmzS— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 13, 2022
A number of experts and historians previously criticized Kardashian for choosing to wear the dress, as it had been carefully preserved beforehand.
Bob Mackie, the designer who sketched the dress in the 60s, also said it was a "mistake" to allow Kardashian to wear the dress.
"[Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess,” Mackie shared with Entertainment Weekly. "She was just fabulous. Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress."
Kardashian and the Ripleys team have yet to issue a statement on the matter.