The fur lined dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 1955’s “The Seven Year Itch” and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s famous smoking jacket are just two items expected to sell for thousands of dollars at a Beverly Hills auction this spring.
Julien’s Auctions’ “Icons: Playboy, Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe” is expected to include dozens of items related to all three sex symbols of Hollywood’s golden age.
Hefner’s smoking jacket, silk pajamas, slippers and pipe, made famous by the magazine founder after years of luxuriating in them while surrounded by beautiful models, is expected to sell for between $2,000 to $3,000 at the March 28-30 auction.
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“Hugh Hefner’s personal style and lifestyle choices became trendsetting. This ensemble is not just a piece of history; it’s a slice of the Hef’s glamorous lifestyle set new standards for luxury and leisure during the eras of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s,” Julien’s said on its website. “Slip into his shoes (or slippers, rather) and imagine what it was like to lounge in the lap of luxury, and be the visionary and icon he defined.”
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Hefner founded Playboy in 1953, and the “How to Marry a Millionaire” actress was the first beauty to grace the cover.
Monroe’s gown from “The Seven Year Itch,” is estimated at a much higher $100,000 to $200,000.
“A fabulous, Mae West-inspired evening gown with a touch of black magic and cellophane glamour!” Julien’s described the dress designed by William Travilla. “This gown comes with an extra twist — a feather boa in dazzling black and white (just a little extra pizzazz, not in the original film). Imagine Marilyn swaying in it during a dream sequence that was, alas, cut from the movie. In this enchanting scene, Richard Sherman, played by Tom Ewell, daydreams about his neighbor, the lovely Girl, played by none other than Marilyn herself, channeling her inner Mae West in this unforgettable gown.”
Other items included in the auction are a 1985 Andy Warhol silkscreen titled “Playboy Bunny,” and a costume Monroe wore for a 1958 Life Magazine shoot in which she portrayed vaudeville star Lillian Russell. There will also be a “treasure trove” of memorabilia from the Playboy archive, including artwork and rare photographs and items from Monroe’s estate.
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“This auction is more than an event; it’s a celebration of the cultural impact, elegance, and sophistication embodied by Playboy, Hugh Hefner, and Marilyn Monroe,” Julien’s said. “Don’t miss your opportunity to bid on these rare and iconic items that define an era and continue to shape our modern world. Join us in honoring the enduring legacies of these three unforgettable icons.”