Headlining the same sale was what was reported to be Marilyn’s costume from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ “Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend” production number, one of Travilla’s most iconic creations for Monroe. The listing stated “Originally designed to be a two-piece garment, this lot features an additional bonus having the original top made for this dress (featuring interior bias label handwritten “1-27-3-7971 M. Monroe A 698-74”) that was not used in the production. This design was discarded due to the top and skirt separating when Marilyn raised her arms during the number.”
Issues: Travilla stated numerous times about the
construction of the costume: “I took a brilliant candy-pink silk peau d'ange
and flattened that to green billiard felt which I covered with black silk. Apart
from two side seams, the dress was folded into shape, rather like
cardboard. Then I crunched the whole thing in, with a belt at the waist and a
huge bow at the back.”
 |
| You can't miss the bulky horizontal seam. |
Travilla never mentions it being a two-piece, nor would he fix the issue by joining the top and bottom together with a chunky seam (seen in both videos and photos) to hopefully remain hidden by a small-ish belt during a strenuous dance number. Nor is there any mention of the billiard fabric in the Profiles listing. (Early on in my Marilyn Monroe fascination, I heard/read that the original Diamonds gown was destroyed by the glue used to adhere the fabric to the green felt.)
In a
photograph taken at Fox after Monroe’s death but before the 1971 auction,
several of her costumes are shown hanging on a rack, including her Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes red sequined Little Girl From Little Rock gown. But
no pink one, which leads me to believe the information to be correct.)
Blank vintage studio costume labels are also available online, and production information for specific films is readily available among costume collector
groups.
Including premium, it sold for $313,000.
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