The “n@ked dress” that Marilyn Monroe used to sing “Happy birthday, Mr. President”
Neither Rihanna nor Kate Moss, the first to wear a transparent dress was the most iconic blonde of all time
On May 19, 1962, the world was left speechless to hear how the platinum blonde beauty sang Happy Birthday in a sultry voice to John F. Kennedy himself, who was her lover, in front of 15,000 people in Madison Square Garden. New York.
As memorable as the song was the dress Marilyn Monroe wore on that occasion: transparent, tight, without underwear… and totally inappropriate. A n@ked dress, as we would now call it, which also came with a mink stole.
Marilyn’s dress – designed by Jean Louis – was so tight that once put on it had to be sewn up behind her, but at the start of the performance it started to tear, losing some of the 2,500 crystals it held. had embedded.
The aesthetic moment created that night was sublime. The sensuality and sassiness with which she sang for Kennedy, sheathed in that body-hugging dress and with the sophisticated edge the mink stole gave her, is unmatched…no matter how hard Rihanna tries.
Monroe’s performance surely provoked reactions from JFK that she had to hide in public, so she only managed to joke:
“NOW I CAN RETIRE FROM POLITICS BECAUSE THEY SONG ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ TO ME IN SUCH A LOVELY WAY.”
The interpretation of Marilyn Monroe has gone down in history for several reasons. The first, because it was one of his last public appearances, before his death. Second, because it reaffirmed – in the most blatant way possible – the connection between the actress and the president, who was married to Jackie Kennedy. And third, because Monroe’s dress became famous as a symbol of song, selling at auction in New York in 1999 for $1.26 million.
