Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe is still a household name more than fifty years after her death. Millions still love her films, and a couple of the many iconic costumes that she wore over the years have sold for seven figure sums. 

William Travilla designed the majority of Marilyn’s gowns, and while we associate them with Marilyn and the roles she played, it is easy to forget that her wardrobe was the property of Twentieth Century Fox (now Twentieth Century Studios), the studio to which she was under contract. Most of her costumes eventually found a second life on other actresses, either in film or in promotional images for the studio.

This orange gown, accented with sequins and beads, appeared on Marilyn in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, where she played the character of Lorelei Lee. In 1956, the dress was used again on Abbey Lincoln, playing herself in The Girl Can’t Help It, where she performed a number entitled “Spread the Word.”