Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Overcoat
From the personal wardrobe of Marilyn Monroe: An ivory cotton overcoat, with labels reading “Styled by Lawrence of London,” and “Bergdorf Goodman on the Plaza, New York.”
On June 28, 1961, Marilyn Monroe checked in to Polyclinic Hospital in New York City to have her gallbladder removed. This was the fifth time she had been in the hospital in just ten months. Joe DiMaggio kept her company throughout. When Marilyn was discharged on July 11 she was practically mobbed by well-wishers and photographers as she left (see video above). She later said, “It was scary. I felt for a few minutes as if they were just going to take pieces out of me. Actually it made me feel a little sick. I mean I appreciated the concern and their affection and all that, but – I don’t know – it was a little like a nightmare. I wasn’t sure I was going to get into the car safely and get away!”
Marilyn wore this overcoat as she exited Polyclinic Hospital on July 11, 1961, following gallbladder surgery.
Click on a photo above for an enlargement.
Provenance:
Christie’s New York: The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe, October 27-28, 1999. Click here to buy your copy of the Christie’s auction catalog for the sale of Marilyn Monroe’s personal items.