Pop superstar Beyoncé delved into retro bombshell glamour while promoting her latest business venture, as Varsha Narayanan reports for The Fashion Spot.
“Beyoncé recently pulled off a retro glam look at Her SirDavis whiskey launch party in Paris. In the carousel of the pictures posted by the singer, she is seen wearing a gold sequin gown with a plunging neckline. Queen Bey sported a dazzling smile as she sat cross-legged and held a whiskey glass in one hand. The background also showed the lit-up Eiffel Tower. She paired her gorgeous Gucci gown with a 3D accessory and a Marilyn Monroe bob.
On September 28, Beyoncé took to Instagram to share pictures from her SirDavis launch party event in Paris. She posed for pictures in a racy sequin gown that featured a plunging neckline. The pop singer looked charming wearing the Gucci outfit, which she paired with gold platform heels.
Beyoncé glowed in the body-fitting Gucci gown as she basked in the lights of the Eiffel Tower behind her, which co-incidentally matched the gold in her dress. The ‘Formation’ singer kept the accessories minimum, but her 3D bag was definitely the highlight of the event … The Grammy winner added some curls to her Marilyn Monroe-inspired hairstyle, which matched the retro vibe of the ensemble.”
At first glance, Beyoncé’s gown is somewhat reminiscent of the gold lamé dress designed by Travilla for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953.) Considered too revealing, it was only shown briefly on the screen. However, Marilyn wore the dress in a photo shoot with Gene Kornman, and at the 1953 Photoplay Awards.
But in contrast to Beyoncé’s ‘busty display’ (per the Daily Mail), Marilyn’s dress showed very little cleavage. Travilla once said she had “the best breasts in Hollywood” – not because of shape or size, but positioning. According to the designer, Marilyn’s breasts were wide-set, allowing him to explore a lower cut.
And whereas her gold lamé dress was halter-necked, Beyoncé’s gown has thinner straps – resembling another Travilla creation, which Marilyn wore to a charity event at the Shrine Auditorium, and again at the 1954 Photoplay Awards.
While filming The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956, Marilyn wore another gold lamé gown (designed by Madame de Rachelle) to a royal film performance in London where she was introduced to Queen Elizabeth II – and as a finishing touch, she chose platform heels similar to those recently worn by Beyoncé in Paris.
Marilyn revisited her classic blonde bob of 1953 during one of her final performances, when she sang ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ to John F. Kennedy in 1962.
However, author and researcher April VeVea thinks Beyoncé’s latest look is closer to that of another blonde bombshell, Jayne Mansfield, seen below at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas in 1958.
It’s not the first time Beyoncé has referenced Marilyn, as she covered ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ for an Emporio Armani perfume ad back in 2007, and wore a gold metallic gown by Elie Saab to the Golden Globes. She later posed for a ‘Last Sitting’-inspired layout for OUT magazine in 2014.
In 2023, she wore a ‘blinged-out bodysuit’ by Balmain to the after-party following the London premiere of her Renaissance tour film – similar to Travilla’s original costume for ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’, which (like the gold lamé dress) was judged too risqué for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
And finally, Beyoncé’s multiple reflections in another photo from the event recall a backstage portrait of Marilyn during a dress rehearsal for her circus appearance at Madison Square Garden in 1955 – which, in turn, echoed a scene from How to Marry a Millionaire (1953.)
UPDATE
Beyoncé wore her ‘Old Hollywood Bob’ again to Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year Awards in New York on 8 October, as her mother Tina Knowles was named Mother of the Year.
The Marilyn Report 
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