Collector claims Kim Kardashian "significantly damaged" Marilyn Monroe's iconic Happy Birthday dress

Collector Scott Fortner has something to say about Kim Kardashian's Marilyn Monroe Met Gala moment - and he's not happy.

Costume designer, Bob Mackie, sketched the design of the sheer dress in 1962 for Jean Louis who then brought it to life for Monroe to wear for John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday.

And now following the 41-year-old reality star wearing the iconic number at the Met Gala, Scott has slammed the decision for Ripley's Believe it Or Not to loan it to her as "irresponsible."

He said: "I do feel that it [was] irresponsible, this is not just a dress. This is a cultural icon.

"It's a political icon. It's a Hollywood icon. It's part of American history from an event that happened 60 years ago … it should have been archived and preserved and taken care of.

"I think the disappointment that I'm experiencing is Ripley has made multiple statements that they were doing everything that they could to protect and preserve the gown."

Taking to Instagram, Scott showed his Instagram followers that the gold sequinned number was "missing crystals" with some "left hanging by a thread" and claimed that it was now "irreparable" because the fabric is no longer available.

Alongside the post, he added: "So much for keeping the integrity of the dress and the preservation. Was it worth it?"

"Without question, the damage is significant!"

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In order to preserve the dress, Ripley's claimed that "great care" was taken, with Kim only wearing the dress for a few minutes before changing into a replica.

Ripley's Believe It or Not paid an eye-watering price of US$4.8m (NZ$7.54m) for the garment in 2016.

Kardashian stirred many different reactions when she wore the historic dress, including criticism for the intense crash diet she went on to fit into the dress.

The reality star has not publicly responded to the criticisms.