Marilyn Monroe 'subway dress' sells for $4.6 million at auction - latimes.com
Click on above link for article. At a June 18th Hollywood Costume Auction, a dress Natalie Wood wore was also auctioned off. Pictured above is the “subway” dress Marilyn Monroe wore in the 1955 film “The Seven Year Itch” sold for $4.6 million!!
According to Yahoo News, the dress worn by Natalie that was being auctioned was her real life high school graduation dress. I wonder how Debbie Reynolds came to own this.
ReplyDeleteIt was truly an incredible collection that Debbie Reynolds had amassed. The $4.6 million is before the buyer's fee is added on...that brought the dress to $5.6 million.
ReplyDeleteThe Natalie Wood costumes included the blue beach outfit from "The Ghost and Mrs Muir," and the dress that Natalie wore to her 1956 High School graduation--it was made by Warner Bros. costume dept.
I wonder if Robert Wagner sold them to Debbie Reynolds. Lana inherited most of Natalie's clothes but RJ kept items that had a sentimental attachment to them, IOW. things that might have a monetary value attached to them in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think the High School graduation dress was on loan from Warners...Natalie probably had to return it when she was through. TGAMM sailor beach outfit probably also belonged to the studio.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Reynolds purchased many of the costumes when the big studios were having fire sales in the early 70's--MGM IN 1970, Fox in '72...etc. The studios had no sense of nostalgia and they wanted to get rid of it all; no one was interested in preservation. Ms Reynolds realized the great historic value in these props and costumes. Many of the things, she bought in whole lots--at bargain prices. She tried--for years--to create a permanent museum for the collection, but it never panned out. The cost of caring for it became too much and she said she had to sell. I had no idea how much she had until I received the catalog--there were 587 lots for sale. I'm assuming she kept some things?
BTW, There were 3 Natalie related pieces offered for sale. The third piece was a black bathing suit that was worn by Natalie in "Marjorie Morningstar," but I didn't see it listed as one of the items that sold.
Thanks for sharing that, Kevin.
ReplyDeleteThat was smart of Debbie to collect as she did. Good for her!
What she tried to do was admirable, Roz. I think she really cared about the history of the movies, and I don't think she bought those things strictly as an investment.
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate thing is that much of the collection was purchased by people outside the USA.
The auction catalog said about the graduation gown, "383. Natalie Wood personal hand-tailored 1956 High-school graduation gown. In 1956, while under contract to Warner Bros., the studio wardrobe dept. created this hand-tailored satin, lace, and taffeta gown for Natalie Wood’s graduation from Van Nuys High School. $2,000 – $3,000" It sounds like the studio was trying to ensure that their star looked good at all times in public. It sold for $4,250.
ReplyDeleteThe final auction results PDF at http://downloads.profilesinhistory.com/prices-realized/Auction%2045%20Prices%20Realized.pdf says the Marjorie Morningstar bathing suit sold for $6,000.
The Anna Muir bathing suit sold for $3,000.
It would be fun to own something Natalie wore in a movie. :-)