'Lost' Monroe dresses put on show

The dress worn by Monroe in The Seven Year Itch is on show

A collection of dresses worn by Marilyn Monroe is going on show in the UK for the first time.

They include the white dress whose skirt was blown up by the breeze from a New York subway in The Seven Year Itch.

The pink satin dress worn when Monroe sang Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is also in the exhibition.

The six dresses are going on show at the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel in aid of Alzheimer's charities.

They are part of the private collection of Oscar-winning costume designer William Travilla, who kept them under lock and key to protect Monroe's memory.

Following his death in Los Angeles in 1990, the collection passed to his partner Bill Sarris, who has Alzheimer's disease.

The dresses, which became known as the Lost Collection, are being shown with several of Travilla's patterns and sketches.

"This is what Monroe fans have been waiting for," said Andrew Hansford, organiser of the exhibition.

"Never before have these items left the Travilla private estate so it's the first time people can get close to Marilyn and experience the iconic memorabilia."

Other dresses in the collection worn by the actress, whose death in 1962 was caused by a drugs overdose, according to the Los Angeles coroner, include her purple satin costume from How to Marry a Millionaire.

There is also a gold lame dress and red sequin dress worn in Gentleman Prefer Blondes and a halter neck dress made for Monroe personally and never worn as a costume.

The exhibition, which will be followed by others elsewhere in the UK, runs from 2 October to 7 October.