Bebe Akinboade
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MOST ICONIC DRESS IN HOLLYWOOD; GOES ON AUCTION FOR $2 MILLION

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Marilyn Monroe sent men’s hearts a-flutter when she stepped out of the cinema – and onto a Subway grate – in her beautiful white dress in The Seven Year Itch.
And a movie memorabilia collector is giving you a chance to do the same – if you cough up a couple of million dollars first.
The pleated halter neck dress is being sold in an auction of iconic film costumes and is expected to fetch up to $2 million.
Other lots include Judy Garland’s costume from The Wizard of Oz, Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot dress from My Fair Lady and Julie Andrews’ clothes from The Sound of Music.
All belong to actress Debbie Reynolds who is selling off her entire memorabilia collection, of 3,500 items, in Beverly Hills on June 18.
Reynolds, 79, who is Carrie Fisher’s mother, starred in Singin’ in the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and has been buying old film costumes for more than 50 years.
She got more serious about her collection in 1970 when MGM announced it was going to auction off everything except its properties.
The actress offered $5 million for all the costumes, scripts, props and music. But the Hollywood movie studio sold everything to an auctioneer for about the same price.
So Reynolds bought selected items from them instead.
Over the years she has collected items including the bowler hat Charlie Chaplin wore in Tramp and Barbra Streisand’s sleeveless gold jeweled gown from Hello, Dolly — said to be the most expensive dress ever made for a film.
The gown, designed by Travilla, is no longer quite as white as when Marilyn wore it. But has boning that was sewn in by hand to create a built-in bra.
Reynolds’ whole collection was supposed to be displayed in a museum but that project fell through, so she decided to sell the lot.
She said: ‘I’m heartbroken. I don’t want to see the collection broken up. It should stay intact.
‘It’s a real shame but that’s the way it’s going to be.’
The collection will be on view to the public at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills early next month.

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