Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Casual Summer Dress

From the personal wardrobe of Marilyn Monroe: An olive green double ply silk jersey sleeveless dress by Walter Bass.

Marilyn loved bright colors and easy sporty shapes when she was not being “Marilyn Monroe” the film star. She bought Capri pants and matching shirts in multiples from sportswear labels. She wore simple white shirts and chino pants. She wore easy little dresses like this one. Her daywear from the mid 1950s to early 1960s reflects both East and West Coast American fashion.

In this dress, Marilyn was relaxed. She had left the film star image at home. She was at play far from the fans, reading her books, studying her scripts, or just hanging out. The design is so timeless it looks perfectly current today. The very ordinariness of this dress meant she could walk the streets of New York or Los Angeles without being recognized.

The dress appears on page 105 of the 1999 Christie’s auction catalog. It was sold at the 2005 Julien’s Auction. Stains and slight discoloration are present under the arms, perhaps from being worn on hot New York summer days.

This dress was to have been sold originally at the 1999 Christie’s Auction: The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe, and is prominently displayed on page 105 of the auction catalog as part of lot #132 (see photo above). Two Christie’s tags are still pinned to the garment. Ultimately, this Marilyn Monroe dress sold at the 2005 Julien’s Auction: Property from The Estate of Marilyn Monroe.