THE WORLD ' S MOST EXPENSIVE
D RESS
Brett Dault & Michelle L . Curtis
On the evening of May 19 , 1962 , Marilyn Monroe made history when she infamously sang her unique , breathy version of “ Happy Birthday ” to President John F . Kennedy , clad in a custom-made , stunningly provocative flesh-colored gown . There was a packed house that night at Madison Square Garden , for JFK ’ s star-studded 45 th birthday celebration , but Marilyn ’ s appearance , in the unforgettable and now iconic Jean Louis designed gown , stole the show and became one of the most famous items of clothing in twentieth century culture .
In November of 2016 , Ripley ’ s Believe It or Not ! purchased the dress from Julien ’ s Auctions for a staggering $ 4.8 million ( with the addition of auction fees , it cost over $ 5 million ), setting a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive dress sold at auction .
Jean Louis designed the dress , from the original sketch done by a young Bob Mackie , who was working for Jean Louis as his first job out of school . Louis had originally designed a version of the dress for Marlene Dietrich , who wore it in her cabaret world tours . Dietrich introduced Monroe
Marilyn Monroe still wearing the dress , with Steve Smith , Kennedy ’ s brother-in-law , at a reception at Madison Square Garden . Photograph : Cecil Stoughton / AP
16 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2017