Marilyn Monroe’s dress has been sold at auction for $4.8m (£3.9m), the private collector has paid such an amount for the look-through gown with 2,500 crystals. This ‘nude’ worn the Hollywood movie star while her singing ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ to John F Kennedy.
Marilyn Monroe is well-known not for her roles but for her love affair with one of the US presidents. John F Kennedy, reportedly, was her admirer, too. The actress wanted everyone knows about their relationships in 1962, so for Kennedy’s 45th jubilee, she sang ‘Happy Birthday, Mr President’ in the fantastic dress. Half a century after, this dress was sold in the auction for $4.8m. It is a new world record for the most expensive dress sold at auction.
The historical dress of Marylin Monroe with 2,500 crystals, was bought by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum chain, exceeding the $3m guide price. According to the company’s vice president, it was “most iconic piece of pop culture that there is”.
In 1999, this dress was sold to mogul Martin Zweig for $1.3m, the price is rising. On Thursday, one more piece from Monroe’s wardrobe was sold as well–cocktail dress she wore in “Some Like it Hot”, which fetched $450,000.
The largest collection of the screen star’s possessions ever offered for auction is being sold by Julien’s auction house in Beverly Hills over three days. Many of the 1,000 lots come from the estate of her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, who became a close friend of the actress. She bequeathed her personal effects and clothing to him in her will.
Ms Monroe died from a drug overdose just three months after the performance, and Mr President was shot dead a year later in Dallas.
