According to a Monroe memorabilia collector, the private museum that owns a historic garment worn by Marilyn Monroe allowed it to be “permanently ruined” when it leased it to reality star Kim Kardashian for her appearance at the Met Gala spectacular last month.

When a platinum blonde Kardashian wore the gorgeous skintight gown Monroe wore in 1962 to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy, she sparked controversy.

This Monday, Scott Fortner, a collector who operates a website solely dedicated to Monroe, posted before and after images of the crystal-studded cream gown.

The after photos were taken by a friend of Fortner who saw the outfit on exhibit at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum on Sunday in Los Angeles, which owns the outfit and has given Kardashian permission to wear it.

Small splits in the fabric around the hooks that held the garment together appear in the comparison pictures, as do missing crystals and others hanging by a thread.

The alleged damage to the gown, which Ripley’s paid a record $4.8 million for at auction, has sparked significant outrage on social media in recent days.

As stated on his Instagram account on Wednesday, “I blame Ripley’s, as they allowed the dress to be worn.”

“I feel that any and every celebrity offered a chance to wear this garment very likely would jump at the opportunity,” he said “There’s a reason someone would want to wear it. Kim K. just happened to be the one who got to do it.”

“It’s now permanently damaged, and likely would have been damaged regardless of who wore it,” Fortner said.

Ripley’s did not react to AFP’s questions regarding the allegations on Wednesday afternoon.

Ripley’s announced the possibility for Kardashian to wear the outfit in early May.

The company stated, “Great care was taken to preserve this piece of history. With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, archivists, and insurance, the garment’s condition was top priority,”

Kardashian, who apparently embarked on a strict diet to get into the renowned gown, did not comment to the claims on social media.