How much is Marilyn Monroe's John F Kennedy birthday dress worth? (2024)

HOLLYWOOD star Marilyn Monroe was known for her image on-screen - but made fashion headlines too.

Decades after Marilyn's death, the mystique surrounding her relationship with John F Kennedy is making the rounds again due to pop culture fans' curiosity about her Happy Birthday Mr President dress.

How much is Marilyn Monroe's John F Kennedy birthday dress worth?

On May 19, 1962, several politicians, celebrities, and noteworthy figures attended JFK's 45th birthday celebration at The White House.

Taking place 10 days before the late former president's actual birthday, Marilyn Monroe was among the famous faces in attendance that night.

During the birthday soiree, the singer and actress put a spin on the traditional Happy Birthday song and coined her own version of it.

In her bedazzled, flesh-toned dress, Marilyn sang Happy Birthday Mr President to then-president JFK.

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The star's gown was crafted by French costume designer, Jean Louis.

Jean was an Oscar-winning costume designer for many golden-era Hollywood celebrities.

In addition to Marilyn, he's designed for Lucille Ball, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, and others.

The late designer created the gown based on a sketch by one of his employees at the time, Bob Mackie.

Mackie found fame after designing for Cher, Diana Ross, Joan Rivers, and Liza Minelli.

At the time, Marilyn paid $1,440 for the dress, which is an estimated $12,400 in modern pricing, according to Antique Trader.

In 1999, the much sought-after gown was sold by Christie's Auction in New York for $1,267,500.

In 2016, California-based Julien's Auctions sold the dress again for a higher amount of $4.8million.

Where is Marilyn's JFK birthday dress?

For the 2022 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian attempted one of her most controversial outfits of all time.

Following weeks of speculation, she stunned the showbiz world when shewalked the red carpet wearing Marilyn's $5m dress, which she had borrowed from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!

The gown is so famous and sovaluable becauseit was worn by the actress when she sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Gardens in 1962.

The piece, designed by Jean Louis, was custom-made for Marilyn’s signature curves.

Kim revealed toVoguethat she had tolose 16 poundsin three weeks so she could fit into it.

She completed the aesthetic tribute by bleaching her hair peroxide blonde.

Martin Nolan, the executive director at Julien's, said of the transaction: "The dress is so much more than just an item of clothing."

On the company's official YouTube, Martin added: "It’s historical, it’s political, it’s a work of art. It’s Hollywood, it’s Marilyn Monroe. It’s the Kennedys."

"It’s everything wrapped up into one piece of fabricsoufflégauze."

"This dress, this moment in time is one of the reasons why Marilyn Monroe remains one of the greatest inspirations to contemporary artists today."

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"This dress, this story, this momentous occasion represents a defining moment in history."

After selling for millions at Julien's, the dress was put on display by Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, where it currently resides.