Marilyn Monroe a legendary Fashion Icon

Last week I attended an exhibition dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, in remembrance of her 50^th anniversary since her death on August 5 1962.  The exhibition features rare photos and a few dresses worn by the actress in her films.  Below are the dresses with images of her in them. Sadly the dress i was really looking foward to see, the white ivory cocktail dress worn by Marilyn in the 1955 film the seven year itch was not on display. This dress became an iconic image in film history and one of the most recognised images of the 20th century, thanks to the famous scene where the dress blows up as she stands over the subway grate to catch a rush of air, whilst fighting to keep the dress in place.




Pink Linen dress worn in Niagara, 1952. The film noir film was one of Marilyns first big roles



Red Sequinned dress worn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953.

 



Costume from Bus Stop, 1956. This satin mermaid looking dress was designed by legendary hollywood designer William Travilla, he designed other dresses for Marilyn, including the iconic white dress from seven year itch. 


Black silk Negligee with sewn in rose detail worn in Niagara, 1952.

 


The long  dress on the left was worn by Marilyn to the premiere of the Rose Tattoo in 1955. The black beaded cocktail dress on the right was worn in Some Like It Hot, 1959



This black silk leotard costume with intricate sequins was worn in Gentlemen prefer blondes, 1953. This is my favourite costume, it embodies marilyn's persona, as a sex symbol . The dress is sexy, flirty and fun.  The flowers and sequin detail on the hat is what i love about this costume.

 


The Dress on the left is from a photoshoot feature in Life Magazine, december 1958.  The dress on the left is a black silk jersey cocktail dress designed by ceil shapman, it is one of Monroe's personal clothes.























The dress on the left is from The prince and the show girl, 1958. The dress is a white silk and chiffon floor length evening gownwith hand crafted beading. The dess on the right is from There's no business like show business, 1954. The full length flesh tone gown has a net underlay with heavily embellished sequins and flowers.