She was the epitome of panache and feminine beauty, this 1950s Hollywood doll strut her stuff in nothing less than top of the line designer high-heels, her lips were painted bright red with a lipstick shade custom-made for her. Marilyn Monroe was beautiful and bold, bold enough to serenade an American President on his birthday. Could there be a better way to eulogise this Californian girl but with something equally classy, sensual and striking? Montblanc pays the ultimate homage to the queen of Hollywood, with the new Montblanc Muses Marilyn Monroe Special Edition writing instruments. The set includes a fountain pen, ballpoint and rollerball inspired by the sparkling life of this elusive beauty.
These writing instruments are not new in a series that includes the likes of Princess
Grace of Monaco, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, but what is
fascinating is how the German Pen brand has captured the true spirit of this American cultural icon with the Montblanc red pen.
From her signature red lipstick (Max Factor’s Ruby Tuesday was designed especially for her), her four-inch heels, to her love for Akoya pearls that she was often seen wearing, one can find subtle reflections of this goddess in this Montblanc Muse Edition. The attention to detail given to these writing instruments reflects on the brand’s keen interest in the lives of the people they choose to honour.
The colour of the cap and barrel reminds one of her flaming red lips, the nib of the pen has been neatly coated with champagne tone of gold, with a delicately engraved portrait of the vivacious actress. Its a first in the Muses’ collection, the heart hole of the nib has been re-designed as an actual ‘heart’, perhaps to remind one of Marilyn’s vulnerable life as a super star. The girl who wooed us with ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’, loved pearls, she was in fact gifted a string of pearls by her handsome baseball legend husband, Joe DiMaggio. If you look closely you’ll find a single pearl perched on the pen’s clip, perhaps as mark of their romance.
Having said that, Marilyn wasn’t just a ‘material girl’, she possessed a deeper, reflective side that we rarely encounter in popular imagery. This earthy quality perhaps links her rather closely with Montblanc and it seems only natural for Montblanc to celebrate her life. Marilyn loved the arts; she loved books and had a robust collection that was home to some of her favourite themes such as poetry and psychology. Her private library contained classics such as Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, Albert Camus’ The Fall and F Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby. One wonders if this common interest in literature drew her to her first husband, renowned playwright Arthur Miller.
Marilyn may’ve left this world way before her time, but she made her short 36 years count. A protégé of Lee Strasberg, Marilyn was determined to make a mark, as she
moved from LA to New York. She even started her own production company under the banner Marilyn Monroe Productions, to create the kind of art she valued.
As Marilyn once said, ‘My fans want me glamorous, I won’t let them down’, neither does this poetically crafted ode to her by Montblanc.
