LOS ANGELES: The Marilyn Monroe dress that flirted revealingly with a gust of New York subway air in “The Seven Year Itch” fetched a record $4.6 million at an auction of film memorabilia. A more sedate outfit worn by Audrey Hepburn in the Ascot race scene of “My Fair Lady” drew a $3.7 million bid at the sale of nearly 600 Hollywood costumes and props collected by film star Debbie Reynolds. The buyers, who were not identified, also paid a sum to the auction house and other fees, according to auction publicity firm Nancy Seltzer and amp; Associates. That brought the total price to more than $5.6 million for the Monroe costume and $4.5 million for the black-and-white gown worn by Hepburn. The total was $22.8 million, according to auction house Profiles in History. “I'm thrilled beyond words. This first auction shows that our great stars were loved by the world,” Reynolds said. She plans to part with more with items later this year. In filmmaker Billy Wilder's “The Seven Year Itch,” Monroe's character cooled off by standing over a subway grate to catch the breeze as a train sped underneath _ which sent her dress north and exposed a shocking amount of leg and undergarment for a 1955 movie. The costume's price set two records, according to Profiles in History: It surpassed the $1.26 million paid for the dress Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy, and it became the most expensive film costume sold. That honor had belonged to Hepburn's black dress from “Breakfast at Tiffany's,” which sold for $923,000, the auction house said.
