If you’ve got an extra $3 million or so, you may be able to buy at auction the famous slinky skin-tight dress Marilyn Monroe wore to croon the world’s sexiest version of “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.
The dress, along with dozens of other personal items from the star’s belongings, will be sold in a three-day auction starting at 6 p.m. Thursday in Los Angeles.
Officials at Julien’s Auctions Gallery, 8490 Melrose Place, estimate the beige, rhinestone dabbled dress – so tight it was rumored it had to be sewn onto her – will fetch around $3 million. That would make it the most expensive personal item of clothing ever sold. It was last auctioned for $1.27 million in 1999.
The sexiest star in Hollywood wore the dress for Kennedy’s 45th birthday party in Madison Square Garden in New York in 1962. Her breathy version there of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” was an instant classic, and only grew in reputation years after both Monroe and the assassinated Kennedy were dead and stories surfaced of them having a secret affair.
The auction in the pricey small Melrose Place district will also offer up other items that once belonged to Monroe, including a lipstick and jewelry.
— Staff and wire reports