Marilyn Monroe dress sells at auction for eight times estimate

By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

A dress worn by Marilyn Monroe has sold for eight times the estimated auction price.

The pink Pucci long-sleeved gown of silk jersey, which has a rope and crystal tassel belt, was bought for more than $325,000 (€291,000) at an event hosted by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday evening.

It had been listed, along with other items owned by the Hollywood star and artefacts from the Playboy archives and Hugh M Hefner Foundation, at $40,000 (€37,000) to $60,000 (€55,000) and sold for $325,000.

The label says it was made for the US department store Saks Fifth Avenue in New York by Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci.

Monroe died aged 36 in 1962 after starring in films including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch, with her final performance in The Misfits.

A previous Jean Louis-designed illusion gown, worn by Monroe when she sang Happy Birthday to the then-president John F Kennedy, was sold by Julien’s Auctions for more than $4.8 million in 2016.

The Thursday auction saw a burgundy smoking jacket with black silk pyjamas and slippers, owned by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, sell for more than 15 times the estimate.

The set went for $35,750 following an original auctioneer value being placed at between $2,000 to $3,000.

Hefner was known for wearing his black satin pyjamas and a red smoking jacket at all times of the day in his Beverly Hills Playboy Mansion, and for his admiration of Monroe.

The first edition of Playboy featured a centrefold image of Marilyn Monroe, which was originally shot by her for a 1949 nude calendar.

This 1953 magazine was sold at $6,500, more than the estimate of $2,000 to $4,000.

Hefner died in 2017 aged 91.

Other items sold included LeRoy Neiman’s Romanoffs oil painting, which appeared in a June 1959 issue of Playboy magazine, at $76,200 and the artist’s Femlin character images, one of which sold for $6,500.

A black satin one-piece bunny costume designed by Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and worn at Palms Casino by Michelle Garlick had an estimate of $1,000 to $2,000. It was auctioned for $4,445.

The auction for Property From The Playboy Archives And Hugh M Hefner Foundation And Property From The Life And Career Of Marilyn Monroe, continues over the weekend.

All sale prices included the buyer’s premium.