First-ever crowdsourced campaign enlists public in effort to place legendary dress made famous by NYC subway vent on permanent display in Big Apple

NEW YORK, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- New York City-based inQuicity today launched a nationwide SAVE-THE-DRESS campaign to acquire the coveted white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in 'The Seven Year Itch.' The dress, owned by actress Debbie Reynolds and recently featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, will be sold at auction in Beverly Hills on June 18th.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110518/CG04450)

SAVE-THE-DRESS is a first-of-its-kind campaign that will leverage crowdsourcing and social media to assemble funds needed to place the winning bid when the dress goes under the hammer next month. SAVE-THE-DRESS is headquartered online at www.SaveTheDress.org and is sponsored by NYC-based inQuicity. If successful, the dress will become the focal point of a multi-city nationwide tour, before it is placed on permanent display in New York.

The ruffled, backless white halter-dress is no stranger to Manhattan, where it first achieved international recognition in 1955. During filming for 'The Seven Year Itch', a Lexington Ave subway vent kicked up the dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, revealing her legs and shocking censors. The image remains one of Hollywood's most memorable film moments and launched both the dress and its wearer to super-stardom.

The famed frock is currently owned by Debbie Reynolds, mother of Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher and former wife of actor Eddie Fisher, who purchased it for $1.1 million in 1999. Hidden from public view for the past decade, the white halter with its famous pleats was created by famed Hollywood designer William Travilla. It has never been publicly displayed.

Earlier this year, Reynolds, whose collection ranges from dresses worn in the film 'Cleopatra'(1963) to the guitar played by Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music'(1965), abandoned plans to open a fashion museum. The star has retained Los Angeles-based auction house Profiles In History to sell the collection at the Paley Center for Media on June 18th. The Monroe dress is expected to fetch a price in excess of $1 million, and will serve as the centerpiece of the film fashion auction.

inQuicity, a Manhattan-based entertainment tech company, has organized the first ever SAVE-THE-DRESS campaign to tap social media and crowdsourcing to finance acquisition of the dress. Those interested in joining the SAVE-THE-DRESS effort may contribute directly at SaveTheDress.org or through a series of fundraising and promotional events that will take place across the country in advance of the June auction.

inQuicity has equipped the SaveTheDress.org website with a host of features that include alerts and enhanced data functions, enables download of fund drive pledge forms and provides 'Save the Dress' party planning tips, as well as classic images of Monroe wearing the dress.

If successful in its month-long campaign, inQuicity will feature the dress in a national tour, before placing it on permanent display in New York. To protect the garment while on public display, SAVE-THE-DRESS will leverage resources from inQuicity, the NYC entertainment technology firm, with input from a panel of recognized experts drawn from academia and renowned fashion and design museums.

Inextricably associated with Marilyn Monroe, the dress is as memorable as its wearer -- and the duo remain one of the most indelible images in world history. It also enjoys a strong association with New York City, where Monroe wore the dress in 'Seven Year Itch' promotional shots snapped in 1955. Those photographs, taken while the film icon stood over a midtown subway grating, triggered the intense jealousy of her then-husband, NY Yankee Joe Dimaggio. A dispute over the film scene lead to their divorce, but it didn't end the love each shared for the other. The exact location of the famed film scene, thought to be lost, has been located by NYC-based inQuicity and is featured in their downloadable app, The Double-Take Tours, which can be used on any iPhone or iPad.

"These belong in a museum," insists Debbie Reynolds, current owner of the 'Subway Dress'. "Buy them and give them to a museum. If you have money, do something amazing," Reynolds said, urging those with means to lend their support to efforts like SAVE-THE-DRESS.

"The dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in 'The Seven Year Itch' is as much a part of her iconic image as her stunning beauty. It's also a prolific piece of New York City's vivid history and culture, and deserves to find a permanent home here," said Darlene Newman, inQuicity co-founder and Director of the SAVE-THE-DRESS Project.  "If we're successful in placing a winning bid -- and we expect to be -- we'll put the dress on nationwide tour and then permanently display it in New York, where it will be preserved for years to come."

"inQuicity's technology has identified the exact spot where Marilyn and her dress rocketed to superstardom, and unlocked a goldmine of must-see locations that were thought to be lost forever. SAVE-THE-DRESS hopes to reunite Marilyn Monroe's dress with New York City to ensure that film and fashion fans can enjoy this iconic part of popular culture whenever they like," Newman said. "Such an important part of American entertainment history shouldn't be hidden away from public view -- even for a second. With the auction taking place just weeks after her 85th birthday, we think Marilyn would approve."

inQuicity, which is owned and operated by The Double-Take Tours LLC, is a leader in entertainment and database marketing. The company has just released its beta platform for creating challenging city-based scavenger hunts and customizable tours.

For additional information about the SAVE-THE-DRESS campaign, the dress itself or the auction, visit www.SaveTheDress.org.  For a free download of the inQuicity, The Double-Take Tours application that reveals the 'Seven Year Itch' film location and other must-see points in Manhattan, visit www.inquicity.com.

Media Contact: Andrew West inQuicity, 2129461293, press@inquicity.com

SOURCE inQuicity

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