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New Yorkers Want Marilyn Monroe's Iconic "Subway Dress" Back
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 2, 2011
Modified Jun 2, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 2, 2011
Modified Jun 2, 2011
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That iconic ivory dress that Marilyn Monroe wore above a Lexington Avenue subway grate back in 1954 is back in the spotlight, as it heads to the auction block. The dress is currently in the hands of Debbie Reynolds, who bought it back in 1974 for $200, but on June 18th it'll be headed to an auction house in Beverly Hills, where it's expected to take in nearly $2 million. And some are trying to get it back to New York City.
The dress really is just as much West as it is East Coast, as many of those shots in the Seven Year Itch were filmed on a soundstage in Hollywood (here's the New York shot, here's the Hollywood shot). However, according to DNAInfo, a group of New Yorkers wants that dress back in the city, and have started a Save The Dress campaign—yesterday they even stood with a mannequin wearing a replica of the dress at the Lexington Avenue spot, trying to bring some attention to their cause. Darlene Newman, who's spearheading the campaign, says, "We want to make sure it stays in New York and goes to a good home. It should be in a museum like the Smithsonian, but in New York."
Yesterday would have been Monroe's 85th birthday, and a rep for designer William Travilla's estate says he considered it a "silly little dress. But Marilyn adored it. It made her an international icon."
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dress
Marilyn Monroe
Save The Dress
subway dress
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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