Although she has become synonymous with Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe attended the Oscars only once. And it was at the iconic event that she had her worst fashion moment. Monroe did not participate as a nominee, but as a presenter. However, she barely took the stage when the black dress she had worn to the occasion tore down the side. How could she present the award for best sound recording in front of 1,800 people, including the mayor of Los Angeles and the governor of California? She refused.
Luckily for pop culture and fashion lovers everywhere, a seamstress was able to quickly sew up the rip, and the world’s most famous blonde bombshell gave her a one-off Oscar speech. Designed by Charles LeMaire, the lightly sequined black dress had a sweetheart neckline with tulle sleeves that fell off the shoulders. Although marked by the wardrobe malfunction at the time, the dress has aged like fine wine. Originally worn by Valentina Cortese in “The House on Telegraph Hill” earlier that year, the piece accentuated Monroe’s famous silhouette while remaining elegant.
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Decades later, it has proven to be an enduring classic. Social media users are still raving about the dress today. “It literally looks like she’s wearing the night sky,” one Reddit user noticed in a thread from 2024. Others highlighted the perfect blend of classic and innovative elements. “Just black tulle covering most of her chest. Very daring but beautiful,” another Redditor argued. The 1951 Oscar dress could have gone down in history for all the wrong reasons, but a skilled seamstress made the opposite happen.
Fashion helped shape Marilyn Monroe’s persona
Marilyn Monroe’s transformation to a pop culture icon wouldn’t have been the same without her fashion moments. Like the 1951 Oscars dress, many of her looks have stood the test of time. Only two months before Monroe’s mysterious death in August 1962, she infamously sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy in a nude figure-hugging sequin dress (see above). Almost exactly 60 years later, Kim Kardashian rocked the iconic Monroe dress at the 2022 Met Gala.
There are countless examples. The white dress from “The Seven Year Itch”, which has taken on a life of its own; the controversial hot-pink dress with matching gloves from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes;” the gold dress, also from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. Monroe’s enduring myth wouldn’t be the same without her famous (and infamous) fashion moments. And we owe many of these moments to costume designer William Travilla. “The costume designer and an actress or star have a very intimate relationship,” said fashion historian Darnell-Jamal Lisby. Time in 2022.
He continued, “The one (between Monroe and Travilla) is a great example of how that relationship resulted in a fashion marriage that helped create how we see Marilyn Monroe today.” But the hyper-glamorous image of Monroe was just part of who she was. And because she died at just 36, those images became even more poignant because they’re all we have. “Because of those moments, her image has become ingrained in the culture. You kind of have to wonder if she lived into old age, if those images would still be so iconic,” fashion historian Caroline Young told Time.
