Like Venus rising from the ocean waves in Botticelli’s Spring, Marilyn’s pose is both virginal and seductive as she steps onto a New York subway grille. The undulating skirt, floating around the figure, emphasizes the dual seduction of movie star and spectator:
Marilyn is seduced by the camera, and in the same moment the photographer and spectators are seduced by her beauty. The dress is a prop as well as a symbol. Light as a butterfly’s wings it expresses the lightness of being that was tragically absent in her personal life. It’s one of the most iconic film moments of all time filmed in late 1954 for ‘The Seven Year Itch.’Fast forward to June 2011, in California at an auction of the collection of Debbie Reynolds the dress from the film sells for a record $4.6 million.
Designed by William Travilla, it is the most expensive dress ever sold at auction, beating the previous record held by another Marilyn Monroe dress, the famous Jean Louis silk and rhinestone gown worn when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in 1962.In Dressing Marilyn, this iconic film dress and the others designed by the genius that was William Travilla, are examined in a vast array of photo and sketches from the eight Monroe films he worked on, two of which brought him Oscar nominations.
The book is divided into sections; the red dress; the gold dress etc and each dress is written about in detail with it’s history and how it came to be in relation to the film. I did fine one error where the purple or “dahlia” (as Travilla called it) silk satin dress, is descibed as being from “the famous mirror scene from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” when infact it was How To Marry A Millionaire. The actual sketch of the dress shown on this page is a different costume entirely.
This error I’m sure is a simple oversight and it in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the book.Having worked with the Travilla Estate, Andrew Hansford gives fans an insiders view of this magical collection which has inspired so many with it’s timeless appeal. For anyone who’s enjoyed Marilyn’s films from the Fox years and the glamour and style from classic Hollywood or fashion in general, this book is an essential read.
By Fraser Penney
