The most valuable item of personal clothing ever owned is about to hit the auction block -- again.
The
beige, rhinestone-encrusted dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing "Happy
Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy is being sold by Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles on November 17.
More than 100 pieces of art
inspired by Marilyn Monroe are on display at the Murray Art Museum
Australia. Scroll through to discover highlights from Marilyn: Celebrating an American Icon...
Created by Hollywood costume designer
Jean Louis, the dress sold for $1.27 million at a Christie's auction in
1999, making it the most expensive personal item of clothing ever to be
sold at auction.
It's estimated to sell for up to $3 million this time around.
"(How
much it will sell for) is a difficult thing to predict, but we feel it
will sell for more than double of its current estimate," said Darren
Julien, president and CEO of Julien's Auctions. "It's truly the most important artifact of Marilyn's career that could ever be sold."
The auction will also include a number
of other personal items of Monroe's, including a used tube of lipstick,
jewelry, cigarettes and several other dresses, which are also expected to attract significant interest.
It's a trend not limited to her personal items, with Monroe's movie outfits also attracting huge premiums.
The
white dress Monroe famously wore over a grate in "The Seven Year Itch"
sold for $4.6 million in 2011, making it the most expensive dress ever
sold at auction, a record it still holds today. "In the world of investing, Marilyn Monroe has proven to be a blue chip when it comes to a secure asset," Julien said.
"Her
values only continue to increase in time as it becomes more difficult
to obtain items from her life or career. Also, as other markets
continue to increase like Asia and Russia with technology, the fan and
collector base for her items will only get stronger."
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