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The billowing white dress that Marilyn Monroe wore above the blast of a New York subway in The Seven Year Itch has become legendary in Hollywood costume design.
Once exposing a risque expanse of the starlet's thigh, the infamous frock was one of six outfits by the Oscar-winning costume designer William Travilla to go on display in Britain yesterday for the first time in 40 years.
The original dresses are some of the most famous ever worn by the Hollywood bombshell, and until now they have been closely guarded by the Travilla estate.
The pink satin gown Monroe wore to sing Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes will be another highlight of the show, running at the Hilton Brighton Metropole hotel until Sunday.
For the same film, Travilla himself had sewn the star into a sheer gold dress that is also on display at the exhibit.
With its plunging neckline and flimsy fabric, the gown was considered so revealing that it only just made it past the censors.
Fans of the fifties film icon will also get the opportunity to see the purple satin number she wore in How to Marry a Millionaire, and the red sequin dress seen in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
But for Travilla, perhaps the most prized dress of all in the collection was a bespoke crepe halterneck that was never intended for a film.
Also on display are a collection of Travilla's preliminary sketches, patterns and designs for the star.
Although he worked with scores of beautiful movie stars, including Greta Garbo, Judy Garland and Sharon Tate, his Monroe costumes were said to be his most prized.
- Independent
