Marilyn Monroe’s hair gifted to Kim Kardashian was fake, says expert

Los Angeles, May 10 (IANS): Reality TV star Kim Kardashian was given a fake lock of Marilyn Monroe’s hair, claimed by an expert of the Hollywood icon.

According to aceshowbiz.com, Scott Fortner, a historian and collector of the ‘Some Like It Hot’ star, refuted that Kim was presented with a real piece of Marilyn’s hair by Ripley’s ‘Believe It Or Not’.

This comes after they presented the 41-year-old Kim with a “silver box that contained an actual lock of Marilyn’s iconic platinum hair” at a fitting for her look at the 2022 Met Gala; the sparkly nude illusion gown, designed by Bob Mackie, which the ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ star wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962.

Fortner, collector of the The Marilyn Monroe Collection, responded to the company’s Instagram post with a fact check.

He wrote, “News Alert: Marilyn Monroe Hair Gifted to Kardashian by Ripley’s is Fake.”

Referencing Ripley’s own website, Scott pointed out alleged falsehoods presented, such as a screenshot of an article that promised “an exclusive look” of Kim getting ready stated that the lock of hair “has been authenticated by John Reznikoff” and that it was chopped off by hairstylist Robert Champion.

Fortner believed that Monroe’s stylist on that night was Kenneth Battelle and explained his reasoning with a receipt.

He wrote in the caption, “One could assume the hair given to KK was part of this lot of hair that was cut by Robert Champion ‘just prior to her MSG performance.”

“News Flash: Robert Champion did not cut and style Marilyn’s hair for the JFK gala. It was actually the one and only ‘Mr. Kenneth’ who had the honours,” he continued his argument.

“Battelle is responsible for Marilyn’s famous hairstyle from that night, as documented by a receipt from Lilly Dache Beauty Salon.”

Fortner has since spoken out about Kim’s decision to sport the dress at the Anna Wintour planned bash since the dress was made to “precisely match every curve” of Marilyn’s frame.

“While I understand the appeal of wanting to wear such an iconic gown, it can’t be dismissed or overlooked that anyone other than Marilyn Monroe wearing the famous ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ dress might be cause for concern for several reasons,” he said.

“The dress was custom-made for Marilyn Monroe.”

“Marilyn stood nude as the fabric for the dress was literally sculpted to her body to precisely match every curve,” he continued.

“The fabric, which is a flesh-colored souffle gauze imported from France, was layered strategically so she wouldn’t need to wear undergarments.”