Good buy Norma Jeane! Screen goddess Marilyn Monroe's CARDIGAN set to fetch big money at auction

Published: 20:19, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 20:19, 1 June 2026 It was a Scottish luxury brand, much favoured by Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. And now one of the late film star’s cardigans by MacMillan of Thornielee is set to fetch up to £10,000 at auction. The cashmere garment was created in the 1950s by the small knitwear firm based in the village of Innerleithen, in Peeblesshire. The firm, which ceased trading decades ago, made the cardigan for sale at upmarket New York department store, Jay Thorpe. It was there that it was purchased by Monroe and became one of the favourites in her personal wardrobe collection. Described as a ‘grey butterfly cardigan’, the item is being sold as part of U.S.-based Heritage Auctions’ ‘Marilyn Monroe Unfiltered’ sale and has been given an estimate of £10,000. The actress was pictured wearing the item with her arm around her friend Hedda Rosten in a photograph from 1956, while the two were spending time in England during Monroe’s filming of The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir Laurence Olivier. A description of the lot reads: ‘Marilyn Monroe Personal Grey Butterfly Cardigan. Vintage original light grey cashmere cardigan sweater with delicate butterfly motif from Marilyn Monroe’s personal wardrobe collection, ca. 1955-1962. Marilyn Monroe pictured wearing the cardigan with her arm around her friend Hedda Rosten in 1956 A Scottish-made cardigan which was owned by Marilyn Monroe is set to fetch up to £10,000 at auction ‘Crafted from lightweight pure cashmere with long sleeves and a shawl neckline, featuring crème-colored contrast buttonholes and crème and grey embroidered butterfly motifs across the front, back, and both sleeves, creating a delicately feminine design. ‘Retaining internal maker’s label reading, ‘MacMillian of Thornielee/Scotland/100 per cent Pure Cashmere /Made Expressly for Jay Thorpe.’ Bidding for the cardigan began on Monday on the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birth. The auction, which also includes letters, private notes and poetry, is described as ‘one of the most intimate and consequential Monroe archives ever to reach the public’. All the lots in the collection come from the estate of Norman and Hedda Rosten, who were close friends of Monroe. Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President of Heritage Auctions, said: ‘Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most enduring and influential figures in American popular culture. ‘While her image and story have been revisited time and again, opportunities to encounter her in such an unfiltered way are exceedingly rare. ‘This is a remarkable archive of primary material that offers fresh insight into her inner world and a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors, scholars and admirers alike.’ Previously, an off-white cashmere short-sleeved crew neck sweater by the same firm worn by Monroe – whose real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson and died aged 36 in 1962 – sold for around £7,000, almost five times the top estimate. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.