Marilyn Monroe’s iconic ‘Happy birthday Mr President’ dress on auction

It was a moment in time, seen now only in fuzzy black-and-white film footage. On Saturday, May 19, 1962, at a Democratic fund raiser and early 45th birthday celebration for President John F Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, Marilyn Monroe shimmied onto the stage wrapped in a white ermine fur. As she ascended on stage, towards the microphone, she wiggled the coat off her shoulders revealing a skintight sheer dress that sparkled with over 2,500 hand stitched rhinestones.

The custom Jean Louis creation was so tight fitting that Marilyn wore nothing underneath and was sewn into it. Sadly, it was one of her last public appearances before her death less than three months later. President Kennedy was assassinated a year later.

On November 17, 2016, Julien’s Auctions will exclusively put up the Marilyn Monroe ‘ Happy Birthday Mr President’ Jean Louis creation on auction. Prior to the auction, the outfit will go to MANA Contemporary in New Jersey, as part of the exhibition ‘Marilyn: Character Not Image’ followed by the Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons (MOSI) in Kildare, Ireland before making its way back to auctions gallery in Los Angeles.


Marilyn Monroe's ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ dress which will go under the hammer (Image: Reuters)

The dress will be displayed on the custom-made mannequin that was designed to match Marilyn Monroe’s exact body measurements. According to reports, bids are expected in the $2-$3 million range. The dress was previously owned by American stock investor, Martin Zweig. When it first went up for auction in 1999, it sold for $1.3 million.