Per Town & Country, both historians and fashion conservators are worried that Kardashian wearing Monroe’s dress could set a new precedent. Many note that the 60-year-old dress has immense historical and cultural value (via Euronews). Conservators state that garments in this category are always archived, which means that they will never be worn again. Sarah Scaturro, a former conservator at the Met’s Costume Institute, stated that “my worry is that colleagues in historic costume collections are now going to be pressured by important people to let them wear garments” (per Town & Country).
Other historians have expressed that Kardashian certainly damaged the dress with her sweat, oil, and makeup. Additionally, her wearing it meant that it left a temperature-controlled vault. In other words, the dress could have easily been damaged beyond repair. Fashion historian Keren Ben-Horin told the Daily Beast that she believed Ripley’s made an “unethical choice” by allowing Kardashian to wear it. The International Committee for Museums and Collections of Costume, Fashion, and Textiles agrees, as they condemned Ripley’s for lending Kardashian a dress that they believed should be protected.
Some, however, believe that Kardashian wearing Monroe’s dress makes perfect sense, as both have endured being over-sexualized throughout their careers, only to become the world’s most famous women (per Buzzfeed). Others, like Slate, add that Ripley’s is not a museum and therefore has no moral obligation to preserve Monroe’s dress.
