Marilyn Monroe Pink Pucci Dress Sold for $325,000 at Julien's Auctions

Vargas pinup girls, femlins and bunnies, as well as two legendary garments of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe and the first Playboy issue featuring the Hollywood siren on the cover dazzled on the opening night of “ICONS: PLAYBOY, Hugh Hefner X Marilyn Monroe” held Thursday, March 28th live and online at Julien's Auctions.

The first night of the auction was held at NYA Studios East, Hollywood’s movie and sound studio that was transformed into a Playboy inspired exhibition (photo below left) displaying a historic collection of the three mid-century American icons brought together for the first time in auction history. (photo top: auctioneer Kody Frederick with Hugh Hefner’s smoking jacket and Marilyn Monroe’s pink Pucci dress). 

The top selling item was a pink Pucci long-sleeved dress of silk jersey accompanied by a rope and crystal tassel belt, size 10 owned and worn by Marilyn Monroe which sold for $325,000, over eight times its estimate of $40,000.

A burgundy smoking jacket with black silk pajamas and slippers, personally owned by Hugh Hefner sold for $35,750 selling over 17 times its estimate of $2,000.

LeRoy Neiman’s original 1959 oil on canvas painting titled, "Romanoffs," that appeared in the June 1959 issue of Playboy magazine, as part of the recurring "Man at His Leisure" series, sold for $76,200 over its estimate of $60,000 (photo right) as well as one of Neiman’s most famous Playboy “Femlin” character images, the illustrator’s original ink and gouache on paper drawing of a femlin in a New Year's champagne bucket sold for $6,500.    

An original copy of the first 1953 issue of Playboy magazine featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover where she was named “Sweetheart of the Month,” which evolved into Playmate of the Month sold for $6,500, more than three times its estimate of $2,000.

Two of pinup artist Alberto Vargas’ legendary watercolor drawings and paintings synonymous with Playboy iconography tantalized bidders: an Alberto Vargas Girl pinup from Playboy magazine’s February 1963 issue sold for $29,250 and Alberto Vargas Girl pinup from the August 1964 issue of Playboy magazine sold for $39,000 (photo left).
A black satin one-piece costume designed by Roberto Cavilli and worn by Palms Club Bunny Michelle Garlick circa 2000s sold for $4,445, over four times its estimate of $1,000, as well as the costume’s front and back drawings sold for $3,175 (photo right).  

A Playboy logo sculpture commemorating the 25th anniversary of Playboy, created by Parviz Sadighian in 1979 that was displayed above the fireplace in the study in the Playboy Mansion West sold for $3,810 selling over ten times its estimate of $300.

Day two of ICONS: PLAYBOY, Hugh Hefner X Marilyn Monroe at NYA Studios East features hundreds of Playboy Enterprises’ most iconic artwork by the likes of Salvador Dali, Frank Gallo, Patrick Nagel, Larry Rivers and many more modern masters as well as other rarities from the largest collection of Alberto Vargas’ Vargas Girls and LeRoy Neiman’s Femlins at auction and their other important works continues tomorrow Friday, March 29th in a day sale staring at 10:00 am Pacific Time and concludes on Saturday, March 30th at 10:00 am Pacific Time with the historic artifacts of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe.

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