Marilyn Monroe's Iconic Pink Dress

One of the most iconic fashion moments in cinematic history is the pink dress Marilyn Monroe wears in “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend,” a musical number in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Origins:

It’s not commonly known that we were almost robbed of this dress. The original dress Monroe was going to wear was designed by William Travilla, and it was an extravagant show girl costume. However, during productions, Monroe had a scandal due to her posing nude for a calendar several years earlier. In order to distance Monroe from the scandal, productions instructed Travilla to dress her more conservatively, and thus the iconic pink dress was created.

Interpretations:

This dress has been referenced countless times in pop culture. The most well-known reference is Madonna in her music video for “Material Girl,” but there are so many others. A section of the music video for Normani and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Diamonds” references the dress. Many shows have referenced the dress such as Glee and Gossip Girl to name a few. The dress can be spotted in the Sims 2 and on Barbie. Kylie Jenner (a woman who has at numerous times likened herself to Monroe) did a photoshoot inspired by “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” It’s interesting to see how the dress is adapted. In an episode of the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the main character wears a recreation of the dress but in a stunning blue. And the recreation Harley Quinn wears in Birds of Prey has pants.

Fun Facts:

- The gloves were originally going to be black instead of a matching pink.

- The bow at the back is directly attached to the dress instead of being an accessory.

- The palm section of the gloves are a different fabric than the rest of the dress and gloves.

- The jewels Monroe wears are not real. Fake diamonds are a girl’s true best friend.