There’s no denying that Marilyn Monroe is a style icon.
you’re free to’t put on womanliness; you have to be womanly" (viaThe Guardian).
While we all know the dress, you may not know the story behind it.
Apparently, it took around three hours to get the final shot.
Over the course of the evening, up to 5,000 fans gathered to watch the filming.
At the time, Monroe wasmarried to baseball player Joe DiMaggio.
He even stormed off the set.
The dress ended up in the 2010 Hollywood Auction 40.
“This is obviously from the most important dance sequence in Marilyn Monroe’s career,” he said.
“You know, Madonna did a rendition of this in her video.”
He went on to explain that the dress had been owned by one collector since the 1960s.
“It’s priceless …
This is a cultural icon,” he said.
According toVogue, the dress eventually sold for 213,000 (roughly $290,000).
But Monroe didn’t always dress like a glamorous bombshell.
In fact, her favorite clothes to wear at home were incredibly laid-back.
Some people who worked with Monroe even saw her natural sense of style as “slovenly.”
Eventually, this sense of style began to pose issues.
Photographer Milton Greene was a close friend of Monroe.
Eventually, he decided she needed a wardrobe makeover.
Her performance went down in history.
The performance quickly spread rumors that Monroe and Kennedy were having an affair.
According toVogue, the dress was carefully designed by costumers Dorothy Jeakins and Charles Le Maire.
They wanted to design a dress that would show Monroe’s character’s fiery, flamboyant personality.
They first considered dressing her in red but realized that hot pink was the best option.
But, apparently, not everyone was impressed with her looks.
He reportedly added that she would have looked better wearing a “potato sack.”
Either way, Monroe’s form-fitting potato sack look was a hit.
According toTimeline, one potato farmer even reached out to thank Monroe for the great publicity!
If this isn’t an example of Monroe being a bold trendsetter, we don’t know what is.
For Marilyn Monroe, that designer was Norman Norell.
Rumor has it that Monroe also wore earrings given to her by Frank Sinatra.
AsVogueexplained, Norell never received the recognition or acclaim he deserved in the fashion world.
So, this dress remains one of his best-known creations.
It even sold at an auction in 1999 for $96,000.
Well, not exactly.
In fact, prior to this film, Levi’s were more commonly associated with cowboys and farmers.
Fans of Monroe probably assume this was just another outfit designed for her by the film’s costume designers.
However, it turns out, there’s a little more to the story.
“She felt the item should be more vintage for her character,” he said.
Talk about being dedicated to your role!
