Kim Kardashian accused of damaging Marilyn Monroe dress...

 Kim Kardashian accused of damaging Marilyn Monroe dress at Met gala

The private museum that owns an iconic dress worn by Marilyn Monroe allowed it to be "permanently damaged" when it lent it to reality star Kim Kardashian for her appearance at the Met Gala extravaganza last month, a Monroe memorabilia collector alleged Wednesday.

A platinum blonde Kardashian shined but also stirred controversy when she donned the stunning skintight gown Monroe wore in 1962 to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr President" to John F Kennedy.

Scott Fortner, a collector who runs a website dedicated entirely to Monroe, released before and after photos this week of the crystal-studded cream gown.

The after shots were taken by a friend of Fortner, who saw the dress on display Sunday at curiosity museum Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Los Angeles, which owns the dress and had allowed Kardashian to wear it.

The comparison shots seem to show small tears in the fabric near hooks that fastened the dress together as well as missing crystals and others hanging by a thread.

The alleged damage to the gown, which Ripley's bought at auction for a record $4.8 million, has drawn widespread criticism on social media in recent days

 I feel that pretty much every big name offered an opportunity to wear this piece of clothing probably would gladly take advantage of the chance," he said. "There's an explanation somebody would need to wear it. Kim K. incidentally turned out to be the person who got to make it happen."

"It's presently forever harmed, and probable would have been harmed paying little mind to who wore it," Fortner said.

Gotten some information about the allegations, Ripley's didn't answer Wednesday evening.

Toward the beginning of May, Ripley's trumpeted the chance for Kardashian to wear the dress.

"Extraordinary consideration was taken to save this piece of history.With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, archivists, and insurance, the garment’s condition was top priority," the company said.

Kardashian, who reportedly went on a major diet to be able to squeeze into the legendary garment, did not respond to the allegations on her social networks.