Recreating the Jewelry for Marilyn Monroe’s Pink Dress
Honoring Hollywood, Craft, and Costume History
Few projects define a career. This was one of them.
The Academy Museum is home to the Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon exhibit, which is celebrating her 100th birthday. Associate curator Sophia Serrano says it targets people who recognize Monroe’s face more than her films. This well designed exhibit is more then Hollywood. It tells shares what makes Marilyn Marilyn.
The exhibit begins by showing several of her famous costumes to help introduce her story. I was commissioned to recreate the jewelry for three of the costumes:
The pink strapless gown designed by William Travilla for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Travilla’s original costume for Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend sequence (shorts, fan and black fishnet)
The red sequined dresses Travilla designed for both Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
The Necklace. Photo Credit: Kathleen Lynagh Designs
From the beginning, my goal was clear—to recreate the jewelry as faithfully as possible to the original pieces Monroe wore on screen. This required more than close visual study. It meant researching and understanding how these pieces were originally made, how they functioned, and how they supported performance.
Kathleen working on the earrings.
Jewelry for film must do more than look beautiful - it must function seamlessly during movement. The dance scenes in this film are lively and expressive, requiring pieces that are secure, balanced, and comfortable under continuous motion. Every decision - from weight distribution to flexibility - was made with performance in mind.
Capturing this look in recreating jewelry is challenging. I started to collect vintage rhinestones a few years ago - with the hope that some day I would be asked to make the jewelry for the Monroe’s pink dress.
The full suite includes: a pair of statement earrings, a complex multi-component necklace, and four distinct bracelets—each presenting its own construction challenges. Much of the process involved translating what could be seen in archival imagery into fully realized, wearable jewelry.
This project is, at its core, about respect - for the craftsmanship of the original jewelry, for the vision of William Travilla, and for the enduring presence of Marilyn Monroe.
To recreate these pieces is not to copy them for production or resale, but to recreate them with care, knowledge, and integrity. It is to support the designer’s orginal intention and complete the actor’s on-screen presence.
Earrings - Both vintage and new rhinestones. Photo Credit: Kathleen Lynagh Designs
Of all the projects I have had the privilege to work on, this stands apart. It is an honor not only to recreate these pieces, but to see them included in an exhibition marking such an important milestone - preserving and sharing the artistry behind one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors.
Cuff bracelet. Photo Credit: Kathleen Lynagh Designs
An exhibit you must see, opens May 31st, 2026.
Our design process is very extensive. We researched jewelry findings and stones consistent with what Hollywood studios would have had access to in the early 1950s. Vintage rhinestones, new rhinestones and base-metal settings were selected to replicate the look and performance of the original jewelry pieces. Where suitable components could not be found, elements were hand fabricated in the studio.
The final jewelry set included:
Necklace
Earrings
Two Cuff Bracelets
Two Link Bracelets
Monroe’s Jewelry Box - Photo Credit: KLH
If you would like to learn more about our design process for this project please comment below, and I will add a new post on how I made these wonderful pieces.
Enjoy! And see the show!
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