Kim Kardashian is once again at the center of a social media storm after stepping out in a rare, iconic piece from the British royal collection: Princess Diana’s Attallah cross necklace.
Fans are claiming that the billionaire mother of four is “obsessed” with famous dead celebrities and believe she’s not honoring their legacy by wearing their items.
Known for her affinity for statement-making and historical fashion pieces, Kardashian recently wore the stunning amethyst and diamond pendant at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s (LACMA) Art+Film Gala on Nov. 2.
Dressed in a white Gucci gown with a plunging neckline to her navel, Kardashian let the cross rest between her cleavage — a styling choice that immediately caught the internet’s attention.
The Attallah cross, crafted from gold, silver, amethyst, and diamonds, became one of Princess Diana’s signature pieces. Diana famously wore it in 1987 with a Catherine Walker dress to a charity event.
The necklace was named after its original owner, Naim Attallah, who often lent it to Diana but kept it in his family until Kardashian won the bidding war and added the storied piece to her collection.
Although she acquired the cross nearly two years ago, in January 2023, she didn’t wear it publicly until her 44th birthday and has now worn it twice outside her home. The first time was shared by Lexy Roche, the Image Director at Maison Margiela, who posted a flick of Kardashian on her Instagram story wearing a black and purple tulle gown with the matching accessory, according to Town & Country.
This recent public appearance at the gala reignited conversations about Kardashian’s fascination with items linked to celebrity icons who have passed on, drawing criticism from fans who feel her approach lacks sensitivity.
Fashion Bomb Daily posted a clip from the SKIMS owner’s Saturday night appearance on Instagram, where the comment section quickly filled with opinions.
“I don’t know why but something just doesn’t feel right with this,” one person wrote, voicing a sentiment that resonated with many.
Another comment read, “What’s her obsession with dead people stuff?” and yet another added, “I hate that this family has so many personal items of people who have passed on.”
One person called Kardashian’s attachment to late princess “very weird,” while another said, “You look good Kim, but you know Diana wouldn’t like you.”
These reactions reflect a growing unease among fans who believe Kardashian’s choice to wear historical items, particularly those owned by deceased celebrities, feels exploitative rather than respectful.
Interestingly, not everyone disapproved of Kardashian’s style choices. Some social media users defended her, saying she looked great, and others pointed out that collecting memorabilia from iconic figures is not new in the celebrity world.
“Drake’s been doing the same thing, buying up items from legends who passed,” one user commented, while another noted, “Michael Jackson did the same thing—none of this is new.”
The necklace is indeed special. According to Attallah’s son, Ramsay Attallah, Princess Diana was the only person who had worn one before Kardashian.
“When I was growing up, we’d always have it on the table for Christmas lunch, but it was never worn by anyone other than Diana, and it hasn’t been seen in public since she died,” he shared last year.
This isn’t the first time Kardashian has drawn backlash for wearing pieces with rich histories connected to iconic figures.
At the 2022 Met Gala, she famously wore Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress, a sheer, rhinestone-encrusted gown Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962. At the time, the dress scandalized the then conservative-leaning America with its illusion of nudity, as its fabric was studded with over 2,500 rhinestones.
After Kardashian’s appearance in the gown, the dress was allegedly ruined. The owners claimed the fabric had stretched, new holes had formed, and many rhinestones were either barely attached or had fallen off completely.
“The dress is categorically no longer the same — it has been ruined,” Molly Elizabeth Agnew from the Eternal Goddess.com stated.
Despite basically destroying the historic garment, Kardashian wore another of Monroe’s green sequined Norman Norell gowns from the 1962 Golden Globes — illustrating her determination to make a statement, even if it involves pushing the boundaries of historical fashion preservation.
She posted herself in the dress on social, writing in part, “In my quest to find the Jean Louis hand-beaded dress that I wore to the gala, I discovered @heritageauctions owned Marilyn’s iconic green sequined gown. Further into my research, I found out that the owner of the Golden Globe that she received that evening was none other than my friend @jeffleatham.”
She continued, “I saw this all as a sign of the way that all of the stars aligned. It will forever be one of the greatest privileges of my life to be able to channel my inner Marilyn in this way on such a special night.”
Beyond Marilyn Monroe, Kardashian’s collection also includes jade and diamond bracelets once owned by Elizabeth Taylor, an actress she openly admires and considers a personal muse, according to Hello! Magazine.
Kardashian bought Taylor’s bracelets at auction in 2011, signaling her long-standing interest in obtaining jewelry from beloved Hollywood legends.
Each of these acquisitions reflects Kardashian’s ambition to connect with — and perhaps embody — fashion icons of the past. But as her collection of relics from famous, deceased celebrities grows, so does public scrutiny, leaving people to ask is this obsession, exploitation, a high-end collector’s love or just as someone said, “weird.”
