Despite the fact that on the screen

played particularly naive roles, due to which the image of a "stupid blonde" stuck to her, she was certainly not like that in life.

Marilyn was a rather closed person with a difficult personal history and a tendency to depression.

The 1950s were successful for the career of the actress, because during this period of her life she starred in the largest number of films.

In 1954, she began working in the film "The Itchy Girl of the Seventh Year", based on the 1952 play.

According to the plot of the film, the main character - a married man - a publisher of cheap 25-cent paperbacks from New York, is going through a midlife crisis.

In the film, Monroe plays his beautiful neighbor, who becomes the object of sexual fantasies for the hero.

When a man's wife goes on vacation, he starts flirting with a neighbor and invites her to the movies.

After the session, the couple leaves the cinema, it's very hot outside, so Monroe's heroine stands on the ventilation grille of the subway to feel the flow of cold air from the train passing in the subway.

In the film at this moment, only the lustful look of the main character and the legs of his companion are shown, but during the filming of the scene, which was held in New York, there was a real sensation.

Marilyn Monroe / Photo: Giphy.com

The actress wore the same dress that everyone recognizes today.

The shooting took place at one in the morning at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street.

Despite the fact that the scene seems very simple, it was filmed 14 times.

For the sake of resonance, the Fox studio invited journalists, 100 photographers, and also spread a rumor about Monroe's appearance the day before, so about 5 thousand curious spectators gathered around the set, who did not allow to capture the moment with the dress - when the wind blew and the actress's skirt rose, everyone around ( and these were mostly men) started shouting "Higher! Higher!"

and whistle

Marilyn Monroe / Photo: Associated Press

Marilyn's second husband, baseball player Joe DiMaggio, was also on the set.

The couple's relationship did not stick together and was on the verge of divorce.

The man was jealous and domineering, the public attention to his wife's pulled up skirt and the shouting of men around him made him very angry, so he left the site, considering this scene to be exhibitionist.

It is known that after Marilyn returned from work to the St.

Regis, the couple had a big fight in their room 1105. Three weeks after the incident, Monroe returned from New York to California and filed for divorce, after only nine months of marriage to Joe.

But despite the sad end of the love story, the dress did its job — spectacular shots of the famous blonde ended up on the front pages of all newspapers, which added popularity to her and, of course, to the film itself.

But after it became known that the couple was separating, the Daily News published an article with the headline "Marilyn broke up with Joe over sexual photos."

Of course, this was also for the benefit of the upcoming film.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio / Photo: Getty Images

However, due to the cries of the fans, it was never possible to film anything in full, so Fox built an exact copy of the New York street already in Hollywood, where the moment with the flying dress was completed as a result.

Marilyn Monroe / Photo: Getty Images

Immediately after finishing work on this picture, Monroe leaves Hollywood, opens her own production studio and begins lawsuits with the studio Fox Film Corporation due to her low fees and declares that she is "tired of the same old sex roles".

There is a scandal in the press again, it is covered very actively, the actress is not presented in the best light.

All this causes even greater interest in the film, which is released in the summer of 1955.

"The Itch of the Seventh Year" became Monroe's only work released this year, and the commercial success of the film ($6 million) brought precisely the scene in the white pleated dress, which was considered very spicy at the time and was hotly discussed.

Using the moment around the scandals in the personal life of the actress, court proceedings and interest in the dress,

Marilyn Monroe / Photo: Getty Images

A huge advertisement for a movie with Marilyn Monroe in Times Square, 1955 / Photo: Getty Images

The author of this legendary outfit is the stylist, costume designer and friend (and according to some gossip, even lover) of Marilyn - William Travilla.

He created a lot of film images for the actress, but did not attach much importance to it, calling it "this stupid little dress".

The outfit is an ivory cocktail dress made of pleated fabric.

The style was very simple: a V-shaped deep neckline, a light skirt, an emphasized waist, a laconic decor in the form of several strips of fabric under the chest and a small, almost invisible bow.

The neckline was decorated with an American armhole and a halter.

The dress has a zipper on the back and tiny buttons on the halter back.

Marilyn Monroe / Photo: Getty Images

This style of clothing was very fashionable for the 50s, so it is not surprising that Travilla chose it.

On the figure of the actress, he had a laconic, but very attractive look.

But more than she wanted, the actress didn't show when the dress blew up, because she prudently put on two pairs of underpants under the outfit.

Marilyn Monroe / Photo: Getty Images

After

 Travilla kept the dress along with other outfits of the actress.

Then the outfit ended up in the collection of actress and collector Debbie Reynold, who, according to her own words, bought it for $200 back in 1971.

Originally, she planned to open a museum to display all her valuable finds, but, on the verge of bankruptcy, she decided to sell off most of the collection in 2011.

Among the lots put up for sale was a white dress from the movie "The Itch of the Seventh Year".

The outfit sold at auction for $4.6 million plus one million in commission, for a total of $5.6 million.

The winning bid was placed over the phone and the dress is now in a private collection - the mysterious new owner of the outfit has not been identified.

Travilla also kept a sketch of a dress that was sold at auction for $50,000 after his death.

Sketch of Marilyn Monroe's dress / Photo: Getty Images

The image from the film "The Itch of the Seventh Year" had the greatest influence on the image of Monroe herself.

Decades after the premiere, the flirty white dress became a symbol of the actress herself, and her image in this outfit is part of pop culture: she was depicted in films, painted, created sculptures, statues, installations, reproduced in photo shoots and music videos.

Statue of Marilyn Monroe in Chicago / Photo: Associated Press

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