Most of the actress's legendary film suits are still relevant today - the stars often appear on the red carpet in similar outfits, actively exploiting the image of Marilyn Monroe.

June 1 marks 95 years since the birth of the great actress Marilyn Monroe, which has long become an icon of style and beauty. Few people know, but her friend and leading designer of the 20th Century Fox film company William Travilla helped her to achieve this "title", who created outfits for most of her films.

Before meeting Marilyn, William had already won an Oscar in 1950 for Best Costume for The Adventures of Don Juan. Despite the already existing recognition, it is generally accepted that it was the creative union of the actress and the designer who forever inscribed the names of both in the history of world fashion.



Marilyn Monroe was the absolute star of her time, the idol of all women and the standard of style... Her images were copied then, continue now and, most likely, will always be copied. She was remembered by us for her trademark blonde hairstyle, bright makeup and clothes that always emphasize the figure.

Despite the fact that the actress had a unique characteristic style in everyday life, the most attention was attracted, of course, by her spectacular and even daring outfits in the cinema.

The creative union of Marilyn Monroe and William Travilla became a real hurricane and forever changed the perception of fashion in the film industry. During a fairly strict censorship, they managed to show sexy, daring and funny outfits on the big screens. Thanks to the actress and designer, uniforms and attitudes that everyone should look the same gray and boring began to go into the past. They showed people chic, glamor, sparkle and forever changed the attitude towards movie suits.



On the occasion of Marilyn's birthday, we suggest recalling the costumes from the actress's iconic paintings, which were designed by William Travilla:

Marilyn Monroe dress from the movie "The Seven Year Itch"

Perhaps it's worth starting with a dress, which became not only the most famous in Marilyn's career, but, without exaggeration, one of the most iconic costumes in the history of world cinema. It was sewn from white viscose acetate crepe, and the sewing itself took only two days. Each fold was hand sewn and the bodice was reinforced with a metal frame.

Interestingly, William himself was not enthusiastic about his work, and called it "that stupid dress." But as it turned out, the "silly dress" was destined to become a legend among the costumes in the movies. It is also surprising that the iconic scene with the soaring dress was filmed in the pavilion of the 20th Century Fox film studio, although initially they tried to do it on the street for a better effect of authenticity. The shooting caused such a stir among the crowd that due to the noise, shouting and whistling, the director had to reshoot the material.

Dress from the movie "How to Marry a Millionaire"

The film, like many other works of Marilyn Monroe, immediately fell into the soul of the audience. An easy, uncomplicated plot, especially the atmospheric New York of the 50s and a great cast, immediately ensured the film's success. But a significant role in this was also played by the most beautiful outfits, the designer of which was again William Travilla.

Most of all, we remembered, of course, an evening dress of ripe cherry color made of draped silk, in which the heroine of Marilyn Monroe shone. It is worth admitting that this outfit has become an inspiration for several generations of designers and such dresses very often flicker even on modern red carpet.



Another image that was remembered by the audience for a long time and made a great impression on them was the appearance in a closed red swimsuit and sandals with straps on a "glass" platform. After the premiere of the film, this outfit, like everyone else, was also copied by many women on the beaches and not only.

"There is no better business than show business"

In the comedy, Marilyn Monroe played the role of a girl named Vicki, who works as a cloakroom attendant, but in her heart dreams of a big stage. Even by the name, it was easy to guess that the film should appear quite varied and bright outfits. And so it happened.

Despite the abundance of colorful costumes (again invented by Travilla), most viewers remembered the white translucent dress made of thin crepe, in which the heroine Marilyn performed her first musical number.

The costume successfully emphasized the chiseled figure of Monroe and turned out to be very effective - it was decorated with embroidery and rhinestones. The look was completed with a headdress made of snow-white heron feathers, which made a splash.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

This film, without any exaggeration, became the most ambitious in terms of costumes in the entire acting career of Marilyn Monroe. The design of the outfits in this picture, as in all the previous ones, was again done by William Travilla. It was he who gave us several iconic film images at once.

At the beginning of the film, the heroine Marilyn, along with her colleague on the shop Jane Russell, take the stage in the same long red dresses that have been embroidered with sequins. The whole accent in this outfit was placed on the deep V-neckline.

The censorship of that time could not let on the screens, as it seemed to them, too revealing suit, so the designer had to sew in a flesh lining in the neckline of the actresses. It should be noted that these changes did not spoil the whole idea and the very concept of the dress.



In one of the following shared scenes with Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe appeared in a chic evening dress in deep orange, which was decorated with many sequins. The image was complemented by a flowing shawl to match the dress, as well as exquisite jewelry, which in a special way reflected the whole atmosphere of the picture.



If we talk about the painting "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", one cannot but recall the outfit that has become truly legendary. Probably, it is him, and that very white flowing dress, that can be called the most famous film characters in the entire acting career of Marilyn Monroe.

We are talking, of course, about a bright pink silk satin dress, in which the actress performed the musical number "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." This scene is still remembered by everyone, even those who have not watched the film at all.

The history behind this costume is particularly impressive. There were some curiosities here. Due to the slippery material, during the dance, the dress constantly moved somewhere, which brought discomfort to the actress and complicated the whole filming process.

To fix this problem, and somehow "weigh down" the outfit, Travilla glued the top layer of satin to the felt, and added a black lining at the back. The main highlight of the whole costume was a huge bow filled with horsehair and ostrich feathers, which was sewn to the back of the dress. High satin gloves of the same bright pink color complemented the look. Not without, of course, the best friends of all the girls - diamonds.