Thread by @latimes

Kim Kardashian's decision to wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" gown to the #MetGala has conservators, curators and fashion historians baffled and worried that the incident sets a dangerous precedent.

Here's why. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

Conservators and curators are appalled that Kardashian wore the gown.

“It sets back what is considered professional treatment for historic costume,” says the Cleveland Museum of Arts’ chief conservator and former head of the Met's Costume Institute. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

“My worry is that colleagues in historic costume collections are now going to be pressured by important people to let them wear garments,” says Scaturro. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

“The dress represents something very important,” says Cara Varnell, an independent conservator specializing in historic dress. “It’s part of our collective cultural heritage. I’m speechless over it.” lat.ms/3OWuJM9

Monroe’s gown, the most expensive dress sold at auction, is made of a delicate fabric called souffle. It’s stretchy and resilient when it’s new, but becomes weaker and more brittle with age. What’s more, it’s embroidered with thousands of hand-sewn beads. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

“Gravity can do a lot of damage,” says Kevin Jones, curator of the FIDM Museum. “Whenever you move, something is giving way, even if you can’t see it. Under a microscope it would show all these little splits. And over time that would be a big problem.” lat.ms/3OWuJM9

Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Orlando, which lent the gown to Kardashian, said that it “strongly feels that this dress, with both political and pop culture significance, is the most famous item of clothing from twentieth century culture.” lat.ms/3OWuJM9

It’s worth noting that Ripley’s Believe It or Not is not a museum. It’s part of a privately owned, for-profit “attractions company” with themed locations. Kardashian didn’t pay a fee to don the dress, but she donated to organizations on Ripley’s behalf. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

Kardashian, who said she didn’t initially fit into the dress, shed 16 pounds for the occasion because she wasn’t allowed to alter the gown and reportedly had to drape a fur stole over the partially fastened zipper. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

After taking photos in the garment, Kardashian changed into a replica dress for the gala, Ripley’s said, noting that “great care was taken to preserve this piece of history.” lat.ms/3OWuJM9

Kardashian could wear the dress only after adhering to certain guidelines:

- No body makeup
- No alterations
- The garment could only be worn for the red carpet portion of the evening
lat.ms/3OWuJM9

Scaturro says there are still inevitable dangers: perspiration, sunlight, oxygen, and changes in temperature or humidity.

“Putting it on a human body will damage it no matter how careful you are,” she says. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

On Wednesday, the dress will return to Ripley’s dark, temperature- and humidity-controlled vault in Orlando.

How will it get there? On Kardashian’s private jet. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

If there’s an upside to the incident, some curators and conservators said, it would be creating conversation around fashion conservation. But the risks outweigh the reward, says the curator of the FIDM Museum. lat.ms/3OWuJM9

“If you wear something, there’s stress and strain,” he says. “Once it’s damaged it’s always damaged. You can’t go back.” lat.ms/3OWuJM9