I’ve been a fan of Marilyn since I was about 9 years old and I first saw her in Some Like It Hot. Its safe to say she has been a big influence on my style and wardrobe choices over the years.
Often thought of instantly in that billowing white William Travilla dress in The Seven Year Itch, but there is so much more to her style than a low cut dress.
Let’s face it this is the woman who proved she could look good in a potato sack so she looks great in everything, but I do love her in jeans, seen here on an early modelling shoot and on the set of Clash By Night (1952)
These looks are both easy to recreate with some good 50’s cut jeans such as these beauties by Freddies of Pinewood, who have named their jeans for easy referencing!
Add some classic Ked’s Champion Originals and cute top;
In Niagara (1953) she wore some beautiful outfits designed by Dorothy Jeakins, this beautiful, easy- wear outfit of a blouse and wrap skirt is made a bit more stylish with the swagger jacket over the shoulders. The jacket by Vivienne of Holloway is available in several colours
Swagger Jacket by Vivienne Of Holloway
As I’ve said in previous Dispatches, the crisp white blouse is a must have for work or play, simply because there are so many ways to wear one. All the major Vintage reproduction sites have their own version but they are just as easy to pick up in any high street store.
This type of pencil skirt is a bit of a rarity on the reproduction sites so why not whip up your own?
This McCalls pattern 1688 available from here on Etsy is a lovely shape and could be adjusted to a waist fastening if you didn’t want the buttons.
Now onto some staples of Marilyns’ personal off screen wardrobe. She often had duplicates of dresses, shoes etc; she found something she liked and a fit that worked for her and she stuck to it – not bad advice I’d say!
Throughout her career, from Norma Jean photo shoots to The Misfits, Marilyn was photographed wearing gingham cigarette leg trousers. She also had an array of the same style in many other colours.
These ones from Topshop are lovely and the perfect cut, they only have a few sizes left on their website but I’ve seen a lot of the same trousers on Ebay. Also these ones by Collectif are a bit skinnier in the leg but still a good comfy pair of trousers for every day wear. The waist is also higher which gives a more authentic fit and look.
Gingham Cigarette Trouser by Topshop
Another Staple of Marilyn’s wardrobe were her Salvatore Ferragamo, heeled pumps which she owned in several colours but mostly wore the white ones. They worked with dresses and trousers, and it’s always good to have shoes that go with everything! Clearly not for you if you aren’t a daily heel wearer but you can always do as I do and stow some ballet flats in your bag!
The current equivalent from Ferragamo will set you back £395 but you don’t need to pay a designer price for a similar look and I’ve opted for a nude shade rather than white;
In the 60’s, Marilyn favoured Emilio Pucci as her go to designer for daily wear (pictured above in Pucci dress and Ferragamo heels), she purchased several tops and dresses in various colours but all very simple in style. Slash and boat neck tops worn with cigarette leg trousers and slash neck dresses with simple tie waist belts. Again she found a shape and cut that complimented her figure and stuck with it. I could write a whole article on her love of Pucci!
What’s great about these outfits is that they are so wearable and so easy to recreate, even using standard clothing retailers. I have however discovered this wonderful lady who makes reproductions of Marilyn’s outfits and sells on Etsy.
I’m very much a fan of this reproduction of Marilyn’s favourite Pucci dress.
Green Jersey dress by Morningstar84
William Travilla said that he designed her costumes to make sure she didn’t look ‘too sexy’ and off screen she seemed to stick to this theory also, and it showed you don’t need a lot of detailing or too much flesh on show to look great. Simple tailoring and quality jersey go a long way to flattering the figure and creating a classic every day look.
