Do
you know if Marilyn Monroe's suits were off-the-rack
or made just for her?
 I
believe they were probably made for
her. She often spoke of a chic and
simple black one, designed by Christian
Dior, which I'm sure was tailor-made.
Most of her suits had such gorgeous
cuts that fit her curves so nicely
that I bet they were all made just
for her. |
What
was the true size that Marilyn Monroe wore in the
1950s, and how do you tell what size you are in
vintage clothing?
Marilyn wore a size 12 in the '50s, which is equivalent to about
a size 4 today (patterns and garments which are tagged a size 12
from the '50s have a small 25-inch waist). You'll discover what vintage
size you are after trying on a few garments, like dresses and skirts
from the era. You'll just have to make sure they're still tagged
in the inside! |
I
thought it was refreshing that Marilyn
was a size 12, until I read that it was
the equivalent to a smaller size. What
was her heaviest weight?
Throughout most of her
career, Marilyn weighed only 118 pounds (she generally varied
from 115-120). The heaviest weight she reached was 140
pounds in 1960. However, at the time of her passing in
1962, she was back down to a very slim 117.
|
Did
Marilyn Monroe have a favorite handbag
and shoe?
 Marilyn’s
favourite shoes were most likely her Lucite platforms that
had removable coloured ribbons that she would switch out
to match her outfits. Marilyn’s favourite shoe designer
was Salvatore Ferragamo (she had over 40 pairs of shoes
made just
for her by
Ferragamo). I’m not quite sure of her preferred designer
of handbags, but she did favour clutches, as opposed to
strappy purses. She was often seen toting a black clutch. |
Are
the Lucite heels that
Marilyn Monroe favored
available anywhere
in the world today?
I
have searched high, and I have searched low, and the
closest match to Marilyn’s famous Lucite platforms with
inter-changeable ribbons are these.
|
What
brands and colors did Marilyn
favor?
Marilyn favoured the colours red, cream and white for her clothes.
Her favourite brands were JAX, Ronetti, Jaeger, Geistex and, in
her later years, Pucci (she had tons of Pucci pieces in her closet).
|
I
have always loved Marilyn's style,
and I love how she dressed for formal
events. But do you have any pictures
of her in casual clothes, or do you
know what sort of things did she wear
of her days off, or before she became
a star?
On her days off, Marilyn loved to wear
capri pants or slacks and casual shirts. Probably her
favourite pair of pants were some checkered Jax Capris.
She also liked sun dresses and shift dresses. Cardigan
sweaters were another Marilyn favourite. A web page that
displays lots of photos of Marilyn’s clothing on her
off days is this
one.
|
What
was Marilyn’s size of her footwear?
Marilyn wore a U.S. size 7AA shoe.
|
 I
love the red swimsuit Marilyn wears in How
to Marry a Millionaire. Do you know Where
I could find one that looks like that or any 50's
styled bathing suits?
It is a beautiful swimsuit! The closest one I could find is here.
|
 What
exactly
did Marilyn
have change
about her
nose? Are
there any
good before
or after
pictures?
A
little
bump was
removed
from the
end of
her nose.
You can
definitely
see a change
in her
nose when
you look
at early
Norma Jeane
pictures,
like the
one to
the right. |
All
the information about Marilyn's make-up-- how
did you find out?
I've been researching Marilyn's makeup and fashion
for years and years, and get my information
from books and magazine articles.
|
Which
cleanser did Marilyn use?
She used Shu Uemura cleansing
oil.
|
I'm
going as Marilyn to a fancy dress party and
I was wondering if you could elaborate on how
she put her make up on and what colours she
used to get the pout, etc.
The most important make-up
things to do are her eyeliner
(the cat-eye look) and lipstick
(using nice red shades). I explain
pretty good how to do her eye
make-up on the bottom of this
page: Give
Yourself a Marilyn Makeover.
As for her lips, any shade of
vibrant red is nice. If you're
lips aren't naturally really
full, I'd suggest lining them
outside your natural lip line,
so they're nice and full. Just
fill 'em in with a beautiful
red colour. Look at lots of photos
of her, especially close-ups.
And be sure to place her beauty
mark on your cheek!
|
How
long did it take Marilyn to put on her makeup?
Her main make-up man,
Allan "Whitey" Snyder,
once said it took about one and
a half hours to do her make-up.
|
Do
you know what brand of foundation Marilyn used
and if so, what shade?
Marilyn used Anita D'Foged
Day Dew make-up in Ivory Medium.
It was cream make-up in a tube.
Today known as "Anita of
Denmark," the brand is still
available. She also used Erno
Laszlo Duo-Phase
face powder, which is still available
as well.
|
In
your Marilyn beauty section is says she tried
to stay as pale as possible and stayed out
of the sun. Yet, in a lot of her movies (Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes, River of No Return, There's
No Business Like Show Business) she has
this gorgeous golden-peachy coloring! Did she
use a self tanner or make-up to get that golden
glow in those films?
Marilyn did possess a
magical glow in her Technicolor
films, which I believe was a
combination of the moisturiser
she used (Erno Laszlo pHelityl
Cream and active pHelityl Cream,
both of which are still available
today)
and another Erno product, Normalizer
Shake-it tinted treatment (also
available). UPDATE:
From Brittney: "I
was watching Marilyn: The
Final Days and they had
used a heavily filtered lens
to make her look bright and awake
when she was tired. I know that
they also used warming lenses
in films to add a glow to the
actors. I'm not positive, but
Marilyn looked paler while filming Something's
Got To Give, until they
added the effects of the lenses."
|
When
I looked up Shu Uemera I noticed that the cleansing
oil wasn't introduced until 1960. What did Marilyn
Monroe use to cleanse her face prior to Shu Uemera?
Before the days of Shu Uemura, Marilyn used good old fashioned
soap and water to cleanse her face. According to The Marilyn
Encyclopedia, "During her first marriage Norma Jeane
would wash and scrub her face many times a day with soap and water
to prevent blemishes and, she hoped, to improve the circulation." Her
first husband, Jim Dougherty says that Marilyn would rinse with
water 15 times when finished cleansing her face.
|
I
know that when Marilyn was first starting out
she wouldn't have been able to have afforded
such luxuries as Erno Laszlo etc. So, if you
could help let me know about her beauty routine
from the 50's era it would be greatly appreciated.
The above answer includes some of Marilyn's earlier beauty routines.
She also used to apply Vaseline, cold cream or a hormone cream
on her face as a moisturiser. As a protective agent for her facial
skin, she would put lanolin and olive oil on her face. For the
beauty of the rest of her skin, Marilyn often took ice baths, which
her masseur Ralph Roberts would prepare for her (Marilyn would
add Chanel No. 5 into her bath, saying, "It isn't Marilyn
Monroe in the tub but Norma Jeane... And it seems that Norma can't
get enough of fresh bath water that smells of real perfume.").
She also used Nivea Skin Moisturizing Lotion. Another trick she
learned in her starlet years was to wipe saliva on her cheeks to
give them a shimmer. To remove her makeup, Marilyn would use witch
hazel and tissue.
|
 Do
you know if Marilyn Monroe had pink/cold undertones
or yellow/warm undertones in her skin?
Marilyn's skin
had pink undertones,
which is visible in the natural-coloured photo to the
right. |
I've
seen countless photos of Marilyn and I've noticed
even at her biggest no photo shows that she had
cellulite, was she really blessed in that department?
Marilyn took extremely good care of her skin and body. She exercised
to keep her body toned and took ice baths to firm her skin. It
appears as if she was lucky not to suffer from cellulite! The only
photo I can see some slight cellulite on her body is this
one.
|
I
was wondering how Marilyn took care of her
very white skin and how she kept it so white.
Marilyn was ahead of her time in that
she kept herself out of the dangerous sun whenever
possible. Especially during the ‘60s, Marilyn was frequently
seen with a parasol or wide-brimmed hats to preserve
her fair skin. Marilyn stated, “I don't like myself
dark-hued. I like to feel my body blonde all over."
|
Was
Marilyn Monroe's skin ever bleached out lightly
to give her more of a porcelain look?
As far as I know, Marilyn didn’t use
a skin bleach to make her skin tone lighter. However,
skin bleaches were quite popular, as they were frequently
advertised in fashion and women’s magazines of the
‘50s. Marilyn would dust pale-ivory powder over her
skin to lighten her look.
|
What
skin type was Marilyn’s? Was it oily or more
on the dry side? Was she ever prone to acne?
Marilyn’s luminous skin was neither
oily nor dry. She took immaculate care of her skin,
using soaps and creams to prevent dryness and improve
circulation. Her extreme care of her skin also prevented
any blemishes from surfacing.
|
Can
you confirm that Marilyn had freckles? I have
read that her natural hair colour was reddish
brown, and would not be surprised if she had
freckles. This would also explain why she kept
away from suntanning, that normally enhances
freckles. If so, her clear skin tone in many
pictures would be a result of an accurate covering
make up.
While Marilyn didn’t have noticeable
freckles on her face, she did have lots of them on
her shoulders and arms. You can see them well in these
photos I've compiled here.
Mischaela spotted (no pun intended) this photo of Marilyn's
freckles from a Gentlemen Prefer Blondes wardrobe
test here.
|
What
color red lipstick did Marilyn Monroe wear?
Marilyn used a Max Factor shade that
they no longer make, however her colour was close to
their current shade of "Flame" in the "Colour
Perfection Lipstick" line.
|
If
you're a brunette and Latin colored what can
you do to get more of her look?
Marilyn's look
can be translated for any colouring.
Her make-up can work for anyone,
in my opinion, and her hair style
would look great on a brunette.
|
What
do you suppose Marilyn Monroe’s 3 red lip color
shades are? And what would be similar today?
Marilyn used a
darker shade of red around the
outside (like a lip liner), a medium
shade, and then a lighter one for
the final, inside shade to give
it a lovely glow. She used Max
Factor shades that are no longer
available, but with experimentation,
similar colours could be found.
|
Do
you know what face shape Marilyn Monroe had?
I think Marilyn
had a decidedly oval face shape.
|
| I'm
no longer answering questions about Marilyn Monroe.
Thank you for your cooperation. My suggestion
is to please join the
forum and ask your question. |
|
What brand of shampoo
and/or conditioner did Marilyn use?
Marilyn did advertisements for
Lustre-Creme shampoo, so she probably used
it. She definitely used Wella's Kolestral
Hair Conditioning Cream, which was sold
in an auction along with some of her beauty
products (her actual box is seen below).
You can still buy it!
|
How
do I get my hair like Marilyn's?
This is a very common question. I just
found a fairly easy step-by-step guide here.
|
What
was the formula for Marilyn's hair?
Marilyn's hair formula according to her
hairdresser Gladys Rasmussen: "The way we got her
shade of platinum is with my own secret blend of sparkling
silver bleach plus twenty volume peroxide and a secret
formula of silver platinum to take the yellow out." She
would have to have it "re-platinumed" once
a week.
|
Is
any diagram that could help me learn to achieve Marilyn's
hair when she used rollers?
Yes-- the diagram below (which I scanned from a '50s magazine) should
give you a Marilyn-approved 'do. The caption for the diagram reads "For
this you need 16 medium rollers and clips for 10 pin curls as shown."
|
How
do I set my hair for the MM look—while
still wet, damp or dry?
For best results, hair should be still
a bit damp when attempting Marilyn-style ‘dos.
|
Did
Marilyn use a special perm?
She actually had to get straight permanents because her
natural hair was very, very curly. It was fine and hard to manage,
and she had to shampoo it every day, or it would get really oily.
|
I
am making over a friend as Marilyn Monroe but
she has longer hair that comes just one to
two inches below her shoulders-- what should
i do?
 That's
okay! You can still do a Marilyn makeover-- just use
rollers or a curling iron to curl the hair under (or
out-- whichever you prefer). If there are bangs (or "fringe")
involved, loosely curl them under as well. while filming The
Misfits, Marilyn wore her hair longer than normal
(seen to the right). For inspiration, watch the movie
or look at photos of her in the film.
|
I
was just wondering if you can tell me what
things I can use to make my hair like Marilyn
Monroe's in The Misfits?
This style is much simpler than other Marilyn
'dos to recreate. Her shoulder-length hair was only curled
at the bottom. Put curlers in the lower half of your
hair, so the curls will flip out. Brush out the curls
with a roller brush. If you have bangs, comb them to
the side, so they sweep across your forehead.
|
I
read that Marilyn used a hair whitener for
her roots, and as a platinum blonde myself,
I’ve never heard of such a product. What exactly
are hair whiteners and are they still available
today?
Yes, Marilyn used Max Factor hair whitener
for her roots (which she had retouched every five days
in her later years). Today, hair whitener would be similar
to “root touch-up” products.
|
What
would be a way to get my hair like Marilyn’s?
Even though her hair color is a secret what
is your opinion on how she made her hair platinum,
and what should I use?
According to the book Marilyn: The
Last Take, in 1961, Marilyn’s hair was dyed by Jean
Harlow’s hairdresser Pearl Porterfield, who “used sparkling
peroxide and plain laundry blueing to produce for Monroe
an ever-whiter shade of pale.” You should consult local
hairdressers to achieve a similar platinum hue.
|
I
was just wondering whether you knew the cut that
Marilyn Monroe had in the early 1950's (was it
all the same length?). I desperately want hair
like hers but just can’t cut it right.
From Brent: Marilyn Monroe's hair was
not all one length. If it was, it would look like a bob.
It was shorter in the front and longer in the back, so
it had an even flow.
|
 I
cannot find any information
on who took the photo (to the
right), or where in New York
it was taken. I am hoping to
do a recreation with a friend
if I could figure out what
balcony she might have been
on.
Ed
Feingersh took the picture
and according to a Redbook article
(from July 1955) featuring
the photo, it was taken at
Joe DiMaggio's apartment near
The Gladstone Hotel (which
was on East 52nd Street). However,
according to Corbis,
the photos were taken "from
a balcony at the Ambassador
Hotel" (thanks
to Laila for sending this information). |
How
can someone learn to walk like Marilyn? Basically
what kind of things can I do to achieve that
perfect Marilyn-like walk?
Marilyn's walk is absolutely classic and absolutely Marilyn!
For clues on how to do her walk, let's go straight to the source.
Marilyn herself stated: "When you walk, always think UP
and front, and DOWN in back." She explained to her stand-in
Evelyn Moriarty, "Shoulders back, fanny hoisted and lots
of shimmy." In Marilyn Monroe: Her Own Story by
George Carpozi, Jr. from 1961, she said, "I've never deliberately
done anything about the way I walk. People say I walk all wiggly
and wobbly, but I don't know what they mean. I just walk. I've
never wiggled deliberately in my life, but all my life I've had
trouble with people who say I do."
I've also read this before: "She had 'hypertension' of the
knees: they locked and unlocked each time she took a step." (Hollywood
Dream Girl, 1955)
Adam
Victor's entry on "The Walk" in The
Marilyn Encyclopedia (1999), includes
this interesting information:
"After Niagara,
everybody wanted to know whether Marilyn's
walk was natural or invented. According to
Allan "Whitey" Snyder [her make-up
man], Marilyn first developed her walk accidentally,
one day when her high heels met uneven cobblestones.
Another suggestion was that she secretly filed
down one heel until it was half an inch shorter
than the other. Marilyn's masseur, Ralph Roberts,
said that Marilyn worked out the walk after
reading The Thinking Body by Mabel
Ellsworth Todd, a book containing an exercise
which involved shifting the weight from one
buttock to the other while sitting."
Author
Carol David wrote, "Modeling taught her
how to project her good looks, although she never
got over her wiggle when she walked." (Marilyn
Monroe, 1962). Indeed, her first modeling
instructor Emmeline Snively said: "The first
thing we tried to do was change that horrible
walk. That wiggle wasn't good for fashion models
but it was Marilyn and we couldn't change it.
I'm glad now, of course." (The Los Angeles
Mirror; January 21, 1954).
|
Do
you know any of Marilyn's workout routines
early on in her career and later on? She had
a fantastic body!
Exercising
was very important to Marilyn in her early Hollywood
days, saying, "I'm fighting gravity. If you don't
fight gravity, you sag." She was photographed
several times in her early years exercising by different
photographers.
She explained one of her exercise regimens in a 1952 article "How
I Stay in Shape" (from Pageant magazine): "I
spend at least 10 minutes each morning working out with small weights.
I have evolved my own exercises, for the muscles I wish to keep
firm, and I know they are right for me because I can feel them
putting the proper muscles into play as I exercise. Each morning,
after I brush my teeth, wash my face and shake off the first deep
layer of sleep, I lie down on the floor beside my bed and begin
my first exercise. It is a simple bust-firming routine which consists
of lifting five-pound weights from a spread-eagle arm position
to a point directly above my head. I do this 15 times, slowly.
I repeat the exercise another 15 times from a position with my
arms above my head. Then, with my arms at a 45-degree angle from
the floor, I move my weights in circles until I'm tired. I don’t
count rhythmically like the exercise people on the radio, I couldn’t
stand exercise if I had to feel regimented about it."
She was known to partake in daily 40-minute workouts and was also
an avid jogger and in her later years, she was a yoga enthusiast.
|
How
did Marilyn drop so much weight for Something's
Got to Give?
As with many Marilyn subjects, there
is much speculation about how Marilyn lost between
15 and 25 pounds before filming Something’s Got
to Give. Some sources blame her strict dieting
for gallbladder surgery. Some say it was illness or
pills that caused her to lose so much weight so quickly.
According to Norma Jeane by Fred Lawrence
Guiles, “Marilyn was losing interest in food and losing
weight at the rate of several pounds a month. By the
time Something’s Got to Give was ready to roll, she
had lost fifteen pounds and looked gaunt.” The book Marilyn:
The Last Take includes a quote from famed designer
Jean Louis, who commented on her look at the time of
filming, “The change in her was breathtaking. It was
made even more startling because Marilyn had just lost
twenty-five pounds. She had never been so slim and
glowing. And, because she was to wear a bikini in several
scenes, she had been working out—and walking a great
deal.”
|
Was
Marilyn Monroe really bookish and intellectually
inclined? Someone told me that that
was all media hype, untrue. Also, the
pictures I've seen of her reading,
next to bookshelves of books, on her
bed, or whatever, seem very artificial
(posed), as opposed to seeming candid.
So I was just wondering.
Yes, it is well-documented that Marilyn
really was intellectually inclined. She often had her
nose in a book, forever wanting to learn as much as
she possibly could about whatever interested her. She
read books about acting, history, psychology and religion,
and also enjoyed fiction, poetry and non-fiction books.
She stuck with what her stand-in Evelyn Moriarty referred
to as “heavy books, not light and flight books.” The
book The Marilyn Encyclopedia contains much
more information about Marilyn and books, including
a selected list of books that Marilyn read.
|
Could
you please tell me Marilyn's
measurements, weight and height
from different areas of her
life?
Absolutely. I compiled
this chart for you:
| Marilyn’s
Definitive Measurements: |
37C
– 24 – 35 |
| First
modeling job; 1945; 5’5”;
118 lbs.: |
36
– 24 – 34 |
| Aug.
1946; Fox Starlet: |
36C
– 22 – 35 |
| 1949;
Tom Kelley Calendar Shoot: |
37
– 22 – 35 |
| Dec.
1949; 5’6”: |
37
– 22 – 35 |
| 1951;
Collier’s magazine: |
37
– 23 – 34 |
| Jan.
1953; 5’5 ½”; 118
lbs.: |
36½ –
24 – 36½ |
| Sept.
1953; 5’5½”; 118
lbs.: |
37
– 23 – 34 |
| 1954;
5’5½”; 118 lbs.: |
37C
– 24 – 35 |
| Fox
Girls; 5’5½”; 118
lbs.: |
37
– 23 – 34 |
| Seven
Year
Itch;
1955: |
37
– 23½ – 37 |
| William
Travilla measurements;
1955: |
38
– 23 – 36 |
| Let’s
Make Love; 1960; 140 lbs.: |
38
– 26 – 37 |
| Time
of Death; 117 lbs.: |
34½ –
20 – 35 |
| Her
preferred “epitaph”: |
37
– 22 – 35 |
|
How
did Marilyn Monroe get such a tiny waist?
Marilyn
was a fan of dieting and exercising to tone and trim
her body. She was frequently on high protein diets,
eating lots of proteins, greens and very little carbs.
Also, according to The Marilyn Encyclopedia (pg. 110),
“Marilyn’s preferred method of (temporary) weight reduction
was in fact colonic irrigation, which she reputedly
practiced on a regular basis.” Ick…
|
Do
you know if Marilyn Monroe (or any other classic
star) used to shave or wax when removing unwanted
hair?
This is just my guess: most of them
probably either waxed or used a depilatory cream (similar
to Nair today). Shaving is more common today than before
the ‘60s. Marilyn used to both shave and wax. One source
mentions that Marilyn nixed herself while shaving her
legs. There are also receipts in existance from Elizabeth
Arden in which Marilyn received waxing "to the
hip" and her underarms. She got a full body wax
for Something's Got to Give. Thanks to Melodie
for providing this Marilyn information! Melodie also
believes that Marilyn used bleach her hair on her arms
and face because she believed it gave her a glow.
|
I've
read that Marilyn Monroe never had her ears pierced
and wore clip-ons. Is this true?
This is true: Marilyn
didn't have pierced ears. Having
ones ears pierced wasn't common
until the middle to late 1960s.
Even then, you most likely had
to get them pierced at your family
doctor! So yes, Marilyn and other
starlets wore clip-ons back then.
|
|
