art 4 logic: Keira Knightley's Anna Karenina gown unveiled with iconic Marilyn Monroe dress and ruby slippers at V&A's Hollywood Costume exhibition

Παρασκευή 12 Οκτωβρίου 2012

Keira Knightley's Anna Karenina gown unveiled with iconic Marilyn Monroe dress and ruby slippers at V&A's Hollywood Costume exhibition

The purple silk gown worn by Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina is set to go on show at London's V&A museum in its Hollywood Costume exhibition next week.

Keira, who attended a preview of the exhibition at the musuem last night, will see her dress go on show alongside the exquisite green silk gown that she wore for her role as Briony Tallis in the 2007 movie version of Ian McEwan's Atonement.

Elsewhere in the exhibition, visitors will be able to see the iconic white halterneck dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch.
Keira Knightley with the dress she wore in Anna Karenina, which goes on show in the V&A's Hollywood Costume exhibition today

The dress Keira wore in Anna Karenina will go on show alongside the green silk gown she wore in Atonement and Marilyn Monroe's white dress from Seven Year Itch

And Dorothy fans prepare to be dazzled: The very slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz are set to go on display in the UK for the very first time - and they are sure to be one of the biggest attractions at the exhibition.

For the first time since filming, the original ruby slippers will be reunited with Dorothy’s blue and white gingham pinafore dress, which is also to go on show.

The contents of the exhibition are the result of a long process of negotiation with galleries, museums and studios across the globe, with some exhibits - namely those ruby shoes - proving a devil to track down.

Keira in one of the stunning gowns created especially for her role as Anna Karenina int he 2012 film

Five years ago, during her treasure hunt for the most well-known Hollywood costumes to include in the, Senior Guest Curator UCLA Professor Deborah Nadoolman Landis set her sights on securing one of the original four pairs of ruby slippers known to exist.

After extensive negotiations with other private owners, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History generously agreed to the exclusive loan to the V&A one month before the exhibition opening. The V&A will display the shoes for a four week period.

The ruby slippers have passed from film memorabilia into a place as one of America's most cherished popular culture artefacts, and attract millions of visitors every year at the Smithsonian.

This pair of Ruby Slippers was purchased at auction in 1970, before being donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 1979.