World’s Most Expensive Dress Comes to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in San Francisco

For a limited time, you can see the iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress that Marilyn Monroe wore on May 19, 1962, when she famously sang to President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday at Madison Square Garden. The dress will be on display for a month-long engagement at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium located at 175 Jefferson St., Fisherman’s Wharf.

On November 17, 2016, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! set a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive dress sold at auction when they acquired the dress from Julien’s Auctions for a staggering $4.8 million.

Add in auction fees, and the dress cost over $5 million, making it the most expensive dress in the world.


Along with the dress, other items from Kennedy’s birthday gala will be on display, including an original program of the event, ticket stub, gala poster, and autographed tiles with Monroe’s signature.

Monroe has ties to San Francisco. She married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio on January 14, 1954, at San Francisco’s City Hall.

The dress will be on display for a very limited month-long engagement, starting on Thursday, August 3, and leaving after Labor Day on September 5. For more information, visit Ripleys.com/SanFrancisco