To back up his claims, Scott Fortner, a collector who runs a site entirely dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, released photos this week of the cream dress adorned with crystals that the latter wore when she sang "Happy Birthday Mr President" to John F. Kennedy in 1962.
On the first series of images appears according to him the famous dress of Marilyn such as it was before the gala of the Met.
The second set was taken by a friend of Scott Fortner's privately owned Ripley's Museum in Hollywood on Sunday after Kim Kardashian donned it.
Comparison of the shots seems to show small tears in the fabric at the back closure and several crystals missing or hanging by a thread in the back of the dress.
The snaps and the alleged damage inflicted on the dress, which Ripley's auctioned off for a record $4.8 million, have drawn widespread criticism on social media in recent days.
In an update published on his Instagram account on Wednesday, Scott Fortner specifies that his "reproaches are aimed at Ripley's, which allowed the dress to be worn".
"Any celebrity who was offered to wear this garment would have jumped at the chance (...). Kim K. was simply the one who could do it," he continues.
"Ripley's had an obligation to protect and preserve this historic piece and they failed to do so. It is now damaged beyond repair and would likely have been damaged by anyone who wore it," the collector said.
Asked by AFP to comment on these accusations, Ripley's did not react on Wednesday afternoon.
In early May, Ripley's was delighted that the dress, never worn since Marilyn Monroe, was given to Kim Kardashian for the Met Gala.
“Great care has been taken to preserve this piece of history. With the help of fashion curators, experts, archivists and insurers, we have made the condition of the garment our number one priority. No cover was made and Kim Kardashian donned a replica before taking part in the gala,” the company wrote in a statement.
Kim Kardashian, who had undertaken a draconian diet to be able to enter the legendary dress, also did not react to this controversy on her social networks.
© 2022 AFP