Guest Post by the lovely Siobhan.

  Nearly 50 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe still stands as the ultimate style icon. With the release of ‘My Week with Marilyn’ hitting our screens this Friday, I thought it was only right to take a look back at the fashion legend that inspires so many of us (like myself) still on a daily basis.

 The glamour Queen herself first caught everyone’s attention stepping out over the subway in an elegant white halterneck which floated up with New York’s nightly breeze and snap… there we had it, a fashion legend was born. Fast forward 5 decades and she is still a major source of inspiration for designers, writers and models alike.

  One of her other iconic pieces designed by William Travilla was the gold lame dress  in her classic film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (one of Marilyns favourites) where 3 different versions were made to satisfy her fashion needs. Another major piece was the controversial Rhinestone body stocking originally meant to be worn for her performance of ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes but after old nude pictures of Marilyn had been leaked to the press this dress then had to be replaced with another mesmerizing pink number. At the time designer Travilla had to be very careful to flatter Marilyn’s gorgeous figure but avoid getting into trouble with the censors of the 1950s era. Not an easy task but with his slashed waist, biased cut pieces, Marilyn didn’t need adjustments or alterations… she was born to wear these clothes!

  Years later she is still influencing designers like Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent and celebrity icons such as Paris Hilton and Miranda Kerr.  After her tragic death in 1962, which is still seen as mysterious, she will always be the woman everyone was in love with. 

     Siobhan x