One more piece of news thundered around the world related to the name of pop legend and style icon Marilyn Monroe. This time, a transparent shiny dress will be put up for sale at the Julians auction, in which the actress sang congratulations to President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday. The expected selling price is $ 3,000,000! When ordering a dress from the designer, Marilyn herself asked her to sew a “historical outfit”. And so it happened. The famous dress of Marilyn Monroe was the most expensive in world history of that time.
Background
On the birthday of President John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962, 15,000 people were invited to Madison Square Garden. Among them were many celebrities. The actress carefully prepared for this event, as the affair with the president went into the completion stage, and she wanted to return her former passion. The dress cost her $ 12,000.
It was huge money for Marilyn, given that she was not in the best financial position in those days. She also had to buy 5 tickets for the event, which guaranteed her participation in the afterparty. Knowing the nature of Marilyn, the organizers tentatively agreed on an outfit with her, and she voiced a perfectly acceptable low-key dress worthy of a performance in front of John Kennedy.
First appearance in a Happy Birthday Mr. dress President
At the celebration itself, the actress arrived completely wrapped in fur. When the turn came to her congratulations, she went on stage, threw off an ermine cape and remained in a dress. The whole hall held its breath. The woman seemed naked, shocking the audience. Everyone sought to take a closer look at the actress. In complete silence, Marilyn sang the first long lines. With a hoarse, aspirated, confessing his feelings and at the same time shocking others with his courage.
Dress Marilyn Monroe at Kennedy's birthday made a splash. Her performance turned into an outstanding event, made everyone and everyone talk about it for several weeks in a row. Everything was at stake, but there was no gain. Behind the dress behind the scenes was the name Happy Birthday Mr. President.
Designer
The outfit of Marilyn Monroe was made by one of the best designers of the 30s - Jean-Louis Berzault. He dressed many Hollywood stars and served as chief clothing designer at Columbia Pictures. In the early 60s, he stopped working at the studio, opening a private salon in Beverly Hills. The most famous women of that time dressed with him. Among the star clients was Marilyn Monroe.
Her outfit for addressing President John F. Kennedy’s birthday was the most famous designer work. He was called "naked dress", "dress provocation." Now it has gone down in history, glorifying the author throughout the world.
What was the transparent dress of Marilyn Monroe made of?
The appearance of Marilyn in the "provocation dress" was not the first demonstration of the outfit itself. For the first time, such an ensemble was seen at Marlene Dietrich. She completed the dress with luxurious furs. Marilyn wanted the same, only better, that it was one of a kind, unique and associated only with her. The designer was very talented. He studied the character and style of the actress and realized that it was necessary to emphasize her extraordinary sexuality, while remaining within the bounds of decency.
Marilyn Monroe's long floor-length dress was sewn from a thin voile. The fabric was folded in several layers. Two and a half thousand flickering sparkles were sewn manually on it. The dress was with an open back and should ideally follow the lines of the figure of the actress. The fabric was beige, and it seemed that there was nothing on the body - only enveloping shimmer. The effect of nakedness was achieved, and it was a real challenge, a scandal at that time. There were no stretch fabrics yet, so that the dress would perfectly follow the lines of the figure, it was urged directly onto Marilyn before going out. There was no linen, it was simply impossible to put on under such a tight outfit. This has become another legend associated with the dress.
The historical significance of a brilliant transparent dress Marilyn
In addition to the aesthetic, Marilyn Monroe's dress from the birthday of Kennedy has historical and cultural significance. The noisy event at Madison Square Garden gathered a huge number of people. Everyone came to congratulate the president, and the introductory speech of actor Peter Lofford was made with the aim of further changing the direction of pop culture. In addition to what was said, Marilyn got up on the stage, took off her fur cape, opening her flesh dress, and sang the traditional greeting so openly, frankly and sexually that the whole audience simply gasped.
The actress had an affair with the president, but this was carefully hidden. Marilyn was able to tell the whole world about it thanks to that very dress and manner of performance. It was like a confession, which the actress carefully prepared, and which required a great courage of a woman. After him, the attitude towards pop culture and the president himself changed. History has become a landmark for the industry. Now there is an interest in dress all over the world, not only as a fashionable creation, but also as a work of art.
Christie's First Auction: Dress Cost
In October 1999, one of Christie’s house auctions was held, where 55 lots of Marilyn Monroe’s personal items were exhibited. The event was broadcast live on television, as there were a huge number of people who wanted to watch this action. The cost of things rose several times higher than the estimated and declared. When it came to Marilyn Monroe's transparent shiny dress (photo above), in which the actress congratulated President Kennedy, everyone just held their breath in anticipation. Lot was presented in the light of the ramp for an audio recording from that significant day. It was the most expensive auctioned dress in the world. The final price reached $ 1,267,000.
Marilyn dress is again for sale in 2016
One of the main events for fans and admirers of the famous actress was the new auction "Julian's". Marilyn Monroe's dress is again for sale. The auction will be held November 17, 2016 in Los Angeles. Before this, the outfit will go on an exclusive tour around the world. The first item is the Marilyn: Character Not Image exhibition in Mana Contemporary (New Jersey), the second is the Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge (Ireland), the final stop is Los Angeles, and the Julian's auction gallery.
The purpose of the event, according to Martin Nolan, Executive Director, is to remind people of an important, decisive moment in the history of the United States and the development of pop culture, as well as why Marilyn Monroe has become an icon-image for decades. The expected selling price is $ 3,000,000.
The legendary white dress Marilyn Monroe
The top 10 most famous outfits of the actress included not only a bodily dress with sparkles. No less famous, even legendary was the image created in the film "Itching of the Seventh Year." Rather, not a movie, but rather a scene where the actress stands above the subway grille in a white pleated dress with a fluffy swelling skirt. The image became a landmark and went down in the history of cinema of the XX century. Marilyn Monroe in a white dress became the face of an era, an object of desire for several generations.
The film was shot in 1955. He was not the best in the career of an actress, but he became popular precisely thanks to her. The image of Marilyn in this cocktail dress has been the subject of numerous parodies. She was imitated, her style became a cult. In 2011, a statue was erected in Chicago with a height of 8 meters called "Marilyn Forever." In it, she is depicted in this dress.
The author of a white pleated dress Marilyn Monroe
The author of the outfit was William Travill. He worked many times with Marilyn, creating several of her legendary dresses. Over time, the outfit changed a little color. The ivory cocktail dress has acquired the shade of ecru. After the death of the sex symbol, it was sold at auction for $ 4,600,000.
The photo of Marilyn Monroe in a white dress still causes genuine interest thanks to the image created by the actress. The designer used acetate crepe as a material for tailoring. The choice of artificial material was dictated by the need to preserve numerous folds that did not rest on natural fibers. The heavy fabric beautifully fitted the figure and at the same time easily rose under the gusts of wind.
The image of Marilyn would be incomplete without her famous dresses. She managed to transform each of them for herself, creating a whole story, changing the fashion vector. The seductive and feminine image of the famous actress became a cult, and the expression “Marilyn Monroe dress” turned into a household name, evoking the already established historical images of cinema, culture, art and even politics.