This Marilyn Monroe dress is worth more than gold

Can you guess which one?

marilyn monroe dress
(Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))

Can you guess which one?

It’s official: these days fashion really is a much better investment than gold. Of course, it helps if said fashion was previously owned by one of the most iconic actresses of all time: Marilyn Monroe.

A new survey by WatchShop found that a dress Marilyn owned is worth more than 1,000 times its weight in gold, and no, it’s not that subway grate dress.

The dress in question is the one she wore to sing Happy Birthday to JF Kennedy in 1962. Designed by Jean Louis, it was so bespoke, she had to be sewn into it. It was embellished with 2,500 crystals that meant it shimmered beautifully in the spotlight.

marilyn monroe dress

It was sold at a Christie’s auction for £3,703, 680 (ouch), and based on its weight of 103g, the experts estimated its value in gold to be £3,233, making it worth 1,145 its weight in gold.

Of course, we can't imagine the current owners would ever want to part from what is essentially a piece of Hollywood history, but good to know that if they did want to, that would be their retirement fund sorted.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.