How much is Marilyn Monroe’s birthday dress worth to John F. Kennedy?

HOLLYWOOD star Marilyn Monroe was known for her image on screen – but she also made fashion headlines.

Decades after Marilyn’s death, the mystique surrounding her relationship with John F. Kennedy is once again making the rounds due to pop culture fans’ curiosity about her Happy Birthday Mr President dress.

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How much is Marilyn Monroe’s birthday dress worth to John F. Kennedy?

On May 19, 1962, several politicians, celebrities, and notable figures attended JFK’s 45th birthday celebration at the White House.

Marilyn Monroe, which came 10 days before the late former president’s actual birthday, was among the famous faces that night.

During the birthday soiree, the singer and actress reinterpreted the traditional happy birthday song and coined her own version of it.

In her dazzling, flesh-colored dress, Marilyn sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President to then-President JFK.

The star’s dress was designed by French costume designer Jean Louis.

Jean was an Oscar-winning costume designer for many Hollywood stars of the golden era.

In addition to Marilyn, he has designed for Lucille Ball, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, and others.

The late designer created the dress from a sketch by his then-collaborator Bob Mackie.

Mackie rose to fame after designing for Cher, Diana Ross, Joan Rivers and Liza Minelli.

At the time, Marilyn paid $1,440 for the dress, which is an estimated $12,400 according to Antique Trader.

In 1999, the coveted dress was sold at Christie’s Auction in New York for $1,267,500.

In 2016, California’s Julien’s Auctions sold the dress again for a higher price of $4.8 million.

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Where is Marilyn’s JFK birthday dress?

For the 2022 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian tried on one of her most controversial outfits ever.

After weeks of speculation, she stunned the showbiz world when she rocked Marilyn’s $5 million dress she borrowed from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! borrowed, walked the red carpet.

The dress is so famous and so valuable because it was worn by the actress as she sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy in Madison Square Gardens in 1962.

Designed by Jean Louis, the piece was custom made to fit Marilyn’s signature curves.

Kim revealed to Vogue that she had to lose 16 pounds in three weeks to fit in.

She completed the aesthetic homage by bleaching her hair peroxide blonde.

Martin Nolan, CEO of Julien’s, said of the transaction, “The dress is so much more than just a piece of clothing.”

Speaking on the company’s official YouTube channel, Martin added: “It’s historical, it’s political, it’s a work of art. It’s Hollywood, it’s Marilyn Monroe. It’s the Kennedys.”

“It’s all wrapped in a piece of cloth soufflé gauze.”

“That dress, that moment in time, is one of the reasons Marilyn Monroe remains one of the greatest inspirations for contemporary artists to this day.”

“This dress, this story, this momentous occasion represents a defining moment in history.”

After selling for millions at Julien’s, the dress was exhibited at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum, where it currently resides.