In this June 10, 2011 photo, entertainer Debbie Reynolds poses between dresses worn by actress Marilyn Monroe in the films "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," left, and "River of No Return," right, at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif. Pieces in Reynolds' extensive collection of Hollywood memorabilia will be put up for auction at the Paley Center. AP-Yonhap News
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The legendary white dress seen billowing under Marilyn Monroe in an iconic image of 1950s Hollywood has sold at auction for $4.6 million, shattering estimates.
The dress, worn by the star in the 1955 film "The Seven Year Itch," had been expected to fetch between one and two million dollars.
But the sale Saturday, part of a collection of Hollywood memorabilia held by actress Debbie Reynolds, saw Monroe's "subway" dress -- now cream colored from age -- sold for $4.6 million (or $5,520,000, with added fees).
The entire sale, which included other Monroe garbs, was valued at $22.8 million, Nancy Seltzer, a spokeswoman for auction house Profiles in History, told AFP in an email.
Signed by the American designer William Travilla, the pleated ivory dress contributed in part to Monroe's enduring image as a 20th Century sex symbol.
It was the highest value feature of the auction that also some 700 pieces go under the hammer.
Among them were dresses Monroe wore in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) and "The River of No Return" (1954), as well as costumes from other classic Hollywood staples "Gone With the Wind," "The Sound of Music," "Cleopatra," "Ben-Hur," "The Wizard of Oz," and "My Fair Lady."
Reynolds, a singer, dancer and actress whose greatest role came in "Singin' in the Rain," began collecting Hollywood memorabilia in the 1970s when MGM Studios liquidated its assets. Her immense collection includes over 3,500 costumes, 20,000 photographs and hundreds of props and other decorations.
A second sale from the Reynolds collection is planned for December.
마릴린 먼로의 ‘지하철 드레스’ 50억원에 팔려
마릴린 먼로가 입었던 전설적인 '지하철’ 드레스가 18일 열린 경매에서 460만 달러(약 50억원)에 낙찰됐다.
여배우 데비 레이놀즈(79)가 소유한 헐리우드 기념품의 한 아이템으로 토요일의 경매에 나왔으며 경매수수료 포함하면 총 552만 달러에 팔려나갔다.
먼로가 1955년 영화 '7년만의 외출'에서 있었던 이 드레스는 원래 100-200만 달러에 팔릴 것으로 예상됐었다.
다른 먼로의 기념품을 포함하면 전체 판매액은 2280만 달러에 달한다.
먼로는 미국 패션 디자이너 윌리엄 트래빌라가 만든 아이보리 색의 드레스를 입고 지하철 통풍구 바람에 치맛자락이 날리는 장면을 연기해 20세기를 대표하는 섹시 스타가 됐다.
마릴린 먼로는 36세가 되던 1962년 돌연사했다.