This gift can be “fake” – believe it or not.
Kim Kardashian rocked generations of fans when she walked the Met Gala red carpet wearing one of Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic looks.
This costume was indebted to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum in Orlando, Florida, which reportedly also surprised the 41-year-old reality TV star with what she claimed to be a platinum hair lock of the legendary bomb – at Madison Square Garden to President John F. Kennedy on his 1962 birthday.
However, Monroe historian Scott Fortner claims to have disproved parts of Ripley’s story, and may have had the receipt to prove it.
“News alert: Marilyn Monroe’s hair gifted to the Kardashians by Ripley is fake,” Fortner announced on Instagram. On Friday, the collector re-shared Ripley’s clip of Kardashian accepting her gift, followed by a screenshot from the museum’s website, and Fortner claiming to be a photo of a 1962 hair salon receipt. HairThe origin of the loom is in question.
Fortner is said to hold the world’s largest private collection of Monroe’s assets and archives, according to his website TheMarylinMonroeCollection.com, where he shared a blog post Billing Kardashian’s Monroe locks as “fake”. Did.
In a statement to The Post, Ripley clarified the details of the lock of hair she was given to Kardashian, as well as a “second, different” lock that was only displayed in her Met Gala dressing room — none of which Certainly cannot be associated with JFK’s birthday.
According to Ripley’s initial description, “the lock was cut by her hairstylist Robert Champion just before her Madison Square Garden performance,” when she famously referred to the politician as “Happy Birthday.”
The museum notes that the lock from the starlet’s signature blonde bob was “certified by John Reznikoff, one of the most respected and trusted experts in the field of hair collection.”
The museum now maintains that both locks — one featured in her video with the Kardashians, and one featured in her dressing room on their website — are authentic. However, they have admitted that they cannot prove that the champion’s lock was originally taken prior to the MSG show.
“The hair Marilyn Monroe gifted to Kim was given to Robert Champion. This clipping was authenticated by John Reznikoff, one of the most respected and trusted experts in the field of hair collection. This April 23, 2022 was gifted to Kim at Ripley’s Orlando headquarters – not the night of the Met Gala. A second, different clipping was displayed in Kim’s Met Gala dressing room on May 2, 2022,” Ripley wrote of her improvisation in The Post explained in detail.
“The article detailing the sample displayed in Kim’s dressing room on Replays.com has been amended,” he said, and provided a 2006 letter of certification from his hair specialist, Reznikoff.
Fortner alleged that hairstylist Champion had never touched Monroe’s hair that infamous night.
“Paul Fraser Collectibles sold hair in 2019,” he captioned his post. “Her description for the lot: ‘A few hours before her performance, Monroe saw her personal hairdresser, Robert Champion, at Coifers Americana Beauty Salon, located within the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue.’ ,
He continued, “One can assume that the hair given to KK was part of the hair that was cut by Robert Champion ‘just before his MSG performance’.”
“News flash: Robert Champion didn’t cut and style Marilyn’s hair for the JFK gala. It’s really the only ‘Mr. Kenneth’ (Kenneth Battle) who received the honor,” Fortner testified on social media.
“Battle is responsible for Marilyn’s famous hairstyle from that night, as documented by a receipt from the Lille Dache beauty salon … The receipt dated May 25, 1962 lists ‘hair dress’ and on May 18 and 19, The reference is to 1962. The date of the Kennedy Feast was May 19. The receipt below reads, ‘Kenneth Services Fri + Saturday at Home.’ Marilyn paid $150 for the service,” explained the expert.
Reznikoff and Fortner did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
