By NASA MARIA ENTABAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

THE latest film to portray tragic 50s film star Marilyn Monroe, My Week With Marilyn hits theatres worldwide soon. And like many before her, Michelle Williams does her best to look, walk, and act like Marilyn.

In print and on film, numerous celebrities have done ‘Marilyn’-type projects, and while wigs and make up can work wonders in making them look like her, getting her style right is crucial.

Like many great movie icons, Marilyn was known not just as an actress but also for her sense of style, and for over 50 years celebrities have been trying to copy her look.

From William Travilla’s white crepe halter neck dress (the iconic ‘subway dress’ from The Seven Year Itch) to her casual wear of slim pants and round-neck sweaters, a lot of what the 50s star wore then still looks good today.

We all acknowledge there will never be another Marilyn Monroe, but ladies everywhere can pay homage to her by stepping into her clothes.

Let’s take a look at some iconic pieces we can all have in our wardrobes.

Skin-tight

Marilyn knew how to do casual, but looking glamorous was her forte – there are heaps of pictures of the screen goddess looking fabulous in gowns.

The key to rocking the Marilyn look is to go with something really tight, but make sure you’re comfortable with your figure to do this – you have to carry a tight-fitting dress with confidence.

Scarlett Johansson has the figure and confidence for a skin-tight outfit.

Megan Fox (who has a tattoo of Marilyn on her) adopts this look often. But it is women will full-er figures like Scarlett Johansson who can truly carry off Marilyn’s look. With an hourglass figure and tons of confidence, she looks super fine in figure-hugging dresses.

Go gold

There’s no better way to grab the limelight at a party or event than to go all out in an elegant gold dress, like the one Carrie Underwood wore to the Country Music Awards recently. Mum-to-be Beyonce has rocked this look at awards shows as well.

This gold dress worn by Carrie Underwood is a perfect example of an elegant Marilyn-style gown

While length can make an outfit more ‘formal’, the glitter and shine will give your dress the glam it needs – just be careful about piling on flashy accessories. Go with small, simple pieces if you’re going with an all-gold look.

Lucite platforms

Actress and ‘rock star’ Taylor Momsen is a fan of these see-through platform ‘stripper’ heels, and so is Nicki Minaj. Marilyn Monroe slipped on a pair of these for an outdoor photo shoot or even clad in swimwear, but this kind of footwear is really most suitable for going out to parties and events. (Just make sure they are worn to the right kind of events, not awards shows, gala dinners or weddings!)

They are perfectly fine for casual events and even for weekend workdays, and believe it or not, some celebrities have been spotted wearing them to fun, non-formal events.

Before you go ‘eww’, take a good, long look at them, and you’ll realise they’d actually be a hot addition to your shoe closet.

Check out the heels Marilyn wore on this site: http://msheel.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-dont-know-who-invented-high-heels-but.html

Casual wear

Perfect for a casual day out, lecture halls and even some offices, the slim white capri pants worn in several of Marilyn’s films go with just about anything.

Pair them with a sweater like she did, or just about any top – loose, tight-fitting or formal – these pants are a great staple to own.

Capri pants like this one shown during Russia Fashion Week are so in.

Forget about the rules about these pants cutting your legs in half and making you look shorter. Just as long as you feel good in what you’re wearing and wear it confidently, you’ll look fab in these pants, no matter what your height.