Kim Kardashian Boldly Channels Princess Diana for LACMA Look

It’s pretty clear by now that Kim Kardashian loves fashion, be it clothes, shoes, or jewelry. So much so that she made a major purchase for her jewelry box last year. For just over $197K, Kardashian bought the late Princess Diana‘s infamous cross necklace.

Appearing at the 2024 LACMA Art & Film Gala, Kardashian walked the red carpet in a form-fitting, plunging-neckline white dress, which lent itself to the spotlight for the large necklace. The iconic piece features square-cut amethysts and circular diamonds, large in size, at approximately 4 inches. Weighing 5.25 carats, the cross hangs on a string of pearls.

The necklace is named “Attallah Cross” for the previous owner, Niah Attallah, who loaned the item to Princess Diana throughout the 1980s. She wore it often, famously in 1987 at the Birthright charity gala. Diana chose to style the item with a neck-high velvet gown with long sleeves.

This is the first time the necklace has been seen publicly since Princess Diana wore it last. Kardashian bought the item from Sotheby’s Auction in London.

Not surprisingly, some people on social media are upset with arguably the most famous Kardashian choosing to purchase and wear the necklace. Taking to X formerly Twitter, one person wrote, “Why? Did she buy it to preserve it or something?” Another user commented, “Hating Kim Kardashian should be a sport.”Others feel wearing the necklace with such a risqué outfit was too much.

“Omg, something so sacred should never be worn by Kim Kardashian. She’s utterly classless and rude! Princess Diana was elegant and beautiful and everything Kim isn’t and never will be,” one critic remarked.

This is not the first time Kardashian has borrowed a closet item from a legend. In 2022, she wore the skin-tight gown once worn by Marilyn Monroe. The Hollywood icon appeared on stage in 1962 to sing a breathless Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy. The bejeweled gown was designed by Bob Mackie and included 25 hundred stones on it. The song, the dress and the star wearing it have collectively made their mark as one of the most famous moments in history.

But, in true Kardashian style, her wearing the sheer gown, valued at $4.8 million, upset many on social media. People were upset at both Kardashian and the keeper of the gown, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum, for allowing her to wear the dress. “She could have just made a replica or a dress inspired by it. Why did she have to ruin the dress?,” one social media user questioned.

In a clip from Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim is seen very carefully putting the then-60 year old gown on with the help of two gloved assistants. Kim says, “There is nothing more important than this dress, so every precaution was taken.”

While both women have a voluptuous figure, it’s quite apparent that Kardashian is well-known for her fuller backside, more so than Monroe. In the process of getting dressed, Kardashian addresses the fact that she is unable to fully close the back of the gown, hiding the obvious with bedazzled shape wear to help blend the issue.

The museum defended their choice to let Kardashian wear the dress saying, “From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in.” The gown is currently in their possession on display in Hollywood.