All About Marilyn Monroe's Iconic White Dress (and the Behind-the-Scenes Drama It Caused)

Even if you’ve never seen it The seven-year itchyou can surely recognize the famous scene from the movie where Marilyn Monroe stands above the subway grate and the wind causes her white dress to rise around her in an alluring spectacle.

Like many of Monroe’s outfits, including her pink dress from Gentlemen prefer blondes and the infamous “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress, the white garment cemented itself in fashion history. The ruffled halter number also became part of Monroe’s legacy, forever linked to her image as the ultimate Hollywood sex symbol.

From the designer who called it a “crazy little dress” to the movie secrets behind the iconic moment, here’s everything you need to know about Marilyn Monroe’s white underground dress and its lasting impact.

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Where did Marilyn Monroe wear a white dress?

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Monroe wore the famous white dress in the 1955 film the seven-year itch, directed by Billy Wilder. The scene was filmed early on the morning of September 15, 1954 at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street in New York City, according to CNN.

Who designed Marilyn Monroe’s white dress?

Hulton Archive/Getty

Monroe’s white halter dress was designed by William Travilla, who simply chose Travilla. In 1949, the designer won an Oscar for his work on The Adventures of Don Juan and went on to create costumes for several of Monroe’s films, such as Don’t bother typing and Gentlemen prefer blondes. Monroe reportedly once wrote a note to Travilla that read, “Billy Dear, please dress me forever. I love you, Marilyn.”

Despite her lasting legacy, Travilla never saw Monroe’s white dress as a pillar of his career, reportedly once dismissing it as “that stupid little dress.”

Who blew up Marilyn Monroe’s white dress?

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As the actress stood above a subway grate, a crew member operated a wind machine from below, creating the now-iconic moment of Monroe’s dress billowing up around her as she tried to contain it.

Although Monroe wore two pairs of white underwear to ensure she wasn’t too revealing, her husband at the time, professional baseball player Joe DiMaggio, apparently disapproved of the suggestive nature of the scene. Photographer George S. Zimbel captured DiMaggio fleeing the set, and it was later reported that the couple had an argument that night, which eventually resulted in their divorce. About three weeks later, Daily news announced the split under the headline “Marilyn Splits With Joe Over Sexy Pics.”

How many shots did it take to capture the iconic moment?

Marilyn Monroe in a white dress. Bettmann/Getty

When the scene was filmed in New York, thousands of spectators gathered to witness the now iconic moment, which The Guardian reported that 14 recordings were required. However, the noise from the large crowd made the footage unusable, so the scene was reshot on a lot in California. However, it was not in vain — photos from the original shoot were used in promotional material.

What is the legacy of Marilyn Monroe’s white dress?

The Everett Collection

The iconic image of Monroe’s billowing skirt cemented her status as a Hollywood sex symbol, while also representing a pivotal point in her life and career.

Over the years, the iconic scene has been recreated, faked and referenced countless times in various forms of media. Celebrities such as Madonna, Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj wore similar dresses on stage and in photo shoots, advertisements paid tribute to the moment, and in 2020 a massive statue of Monroe standing above a subway grate was permanently installed in Palm Springs, California .

2022 Netflix biopic Blondestarring Ana de Armas, he took special care to recreate the famous dress. The film’s costume designer, Jennifer Johnson, told The Associated Press that it was a difficult process because the specific pleating technique used on the original dress was a thing of the past.

“I think we went through about 50 yards of fabric because the pleating wasn’t good,” she said. “It looked great, but the molds weren’t properly designed for pleating. There was a lot of R&D and waste.”

Where is Marilyn Monroe’s white dress now?

20th Century-Fox/Getty

Travilla kept many of his designs until his death in 1990, but the iconic white dress worn by Monroe was in the care of the film studio, 20th Century Fox, until he gave it up in 1971.

According to The Guardianactress Debbie Reynolds bought the dress for $200 and it became part of her impressive collection of Hollywood memorabilia, including costumes and props from The sound of music. Reynolds had hoped to open a museum to display her collection, but the project never came to fruition. As a result, Reynolds auctioned off her items in 2011, where Monroe’s white dress sold for several million dollars, with some reports claiming it went for $4.6 million, while others say it went for more than 5, 6 million dollars. According to CNN, the auction house Profiles in History has estimated that the dress will sell for two million dollars.

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Source: HIS Education