Marilyn Monroe's purse, Britney Spears's bra, Cher's cheeky 'If I Could Turn Back Time' bodysuit are up for auction — and we got a sneak peek

It’s not every day that you get to go through the purse of an icon like Marilyn Monroe.

The cylinder-shaped gold-tone metal minaudière with floral gem designs is one of 204 items up for bid in Julien’s Bold Luxury: The Limelight Edit auction and Yahoo Entertainment got a preview of the offerings. For the purse, which slides into a black velvet cover sling that dangled from Monroe’s wrist, it was a hands-on experience.

Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of the auction house, gave us a tour of its contents. The purse is expected to fetch between $100,000 and $200,000. Within the Pandora by Wadsworth clutch’s three compartments were a makeup compact (powder still on the puff) and mirror, a tube of vibrant red lipstick (Dorothy Gray’s “Jewel of India”), a comb, eight cigarettes (Philip Morris limited special blend, nonfiltered) and two dimes (dated 1943 and 1945) for phone calls.

The “very special” bag, which is totally “incognito” when tucked into the sling, is what Monroe would carry when she went out for the evening, Nolan said. “It’s a work of art — like a Monet, Picasso or van Gogh” as well as a “great conversation piece.”

While the Hollywood superstar was only 36 when she died of a barbiturate overdose in 1962, she had a will in place that left her physical properties and 75% of her intellectual property to her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, and his wife, Paula, who were like surrogate parents to her. The estate of Lee Strasberg sold the bag and other items through Julien’s in 2016. There was a bidding war between designer Tommy Hilfiger and music executive Tommy Mottola over the purse. Hilfiger, a collector of some of Monroe’s most famous fashions, won with a bid of $187,500.

Hilfiger and his wife are now selling the bag, with a portion of the proceeds going to Next for Autism.

That is just one item up for bid in the lot right now online leading up to a live auction on March 27 — and we didn’t hate having to examine the historical pieces. There are other old-Hollywood offerings, including more from Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor and newer pieces that previously graced the bods of Cher, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Victoria Beckham.

Cher’s ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ touring outfit

While we’d wager that not many people would be able to comfortably fit into this ensemble, it’s long been a hot commodity. Cher wore the skin-tight, sheer, embellished, spandex and mesh catsuit, which was designed by Bob Mackie, with a leather motorcycle jacket decorated with rhinestones on her 2002 “The Farewell Tour” when she performed “If I Could Turn Back Time.” It’s a re-creation of the Mackie piece Cher wore in the 1989 video for the song, which landed her in trouble with the Navy, and an "embarrassed" Mackie denied designing it due to its extreme exposure. In February, Cher, 78, wore another version of it, also by Mackie, during her SNL50: The Homecoming Concert performance (catching Kevin Costner’s eye).

Cher first sold the outfit in 2006 for $60,000. The woman bidding was driving at the time and crashed her car but insisted that they “keep bidding” on her behalf. In the years since Cher parted with the original, she has actually rented it back to wear at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and on her 2014 tour. Nolan said Cher exchanged six concert tickets as payment. It sold again in 2021 for $115,200.

“It’s my third time bringing this to auction, and it doubles in price each time,” Nolan said.

Britney Spears’s star bra

Mackie is parting with this four-piece burlesque ensemble — bra, underwear and armbands — worn by the pop star. He originally designed it for the 1981 Las Vegas production of Jubilee! and Spears later “borrowed them and flaunted them” for her 2001 HBO Dream Within a Dream Tour concert special, Nolan said. “It’s timeless and could be worn by a rock star today.”

The undergarments were handmade in France using a blush fabric for a nude illusion. Spears wore them over jeans, while performing her hit “...Baby One More Time.” In her memoir, she called it her “best tour,” crediting the “brilliant” minds behind it and being styled properly. The set is expected to sell for between $6,000 and $8,000.

A replica of the jeans — Levi's 501 medium wash, designed by Corbin Struck, with a 30-inch waist — are also up for bid.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra kaftan and some diamonds (natch)

La Liz was known for her jewelry, and there are several gem offerings in the sale, including a Theo Fennell diamond and gold Star of David pendant, a 1930s art deco emerald and diamond brooch and this lion-themed ruby and diamond and gold necklace and earring set (value: a roaring $200,000 to $300,000).

A standout piece of clothing, however, is Irene Sharraff’s saffron yellow silk chiffon evening robe embroidered with ibis and snakes that Taylor wore in 1963’s Cleopatra. It was one of 65 costumes designed for the screen legend, and she wore it in a scene in which Cleopatra found out her lover, played by on-off real-love Richard Burton, had an affair and she started stabbing their bed with a knife. The robe was modeled by Kim Kardashian in Harper's Bazaar’s March 2011 issue, loaned to the reality star by Taylor herself. Taylor died that year at the age of 79. The final price is anticipated to be between $20,000 and $30,000.

There’s also a 14-carat gold and diamond purse owned by Taylor, which she wore at the Lido premiere with then-husband Burton in 1964. On the outside, diamonds spell out “Liz,” and inside there’s a mirrored lid. It comes in a lavender pouch and should sell in the $100,000 to $200,000 range.

Monroe’s The Misfits cowboy boots and dress

Hilfiger is also selling other Monroe items tied to the 1961 film. To start are her size 7? Hyer-brand tan leather boots with yellow and green stitching and block heels that were worn in what was her last completed film. She famously screamed “Murderers!” in a scene in which she had on the footwear. For the past 20 years, they’ve been in a shadowbox in Hilfiger’s office after he bought them in 1999 for $75,000, promising to let Demi Moore, who was also at the auction at the time, wear them.

This original Jean Louis painted-silk jersey cocktail dress — tiny in person, once again exploding any claims that Monroe was in any way plus-size — was worn by the star at the movie’s press conference in 1960. The fabric was a favorite of hers, according to Nolan, and the dress should fetch between $60,000 and $80,000.

Louis famously created the nude illusion dress Monroe wore to serenade “Mr. President” John F. Kennedy in May 1962. That dress, designed based on a sketch by a 22-year-old Mackie, sold for $4.8 million in 2016. It was later worn by Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala, drawing criticism.

Monroe’s jeans from River of No Return

A pair of jeans from the 1954 film worn by Monroe and her stunt double Helen Thurston are also being passed along by Hilfiger, who displayed them in the lobby of his office building, according to Nolan, and are expected to draw between $30,000 and $50,000. Sporting a JCPenney label, the zip-fly bottoms are taken in at the waistband and hips to perfectly fit Marilyn’s exact measurements.

These are one of three pairs of jeans Hilfiger bought. He previously gifted the two others to Spears and Naomi Campbell.

Amy Winehouse’s red Christian Louboutin heels

One of the items that’s more in reach than a $200,000 purse are stilettos worn by the British singer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. Winehouse, who died in 2011 at age 27, wore the round-toe platform pumps while performing backup for her goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield, on the show. She was later photographed wearing them at a pub in London’s Camden with boyfriend, Reg Traviss. They’re a size 38 and are being sold by a friend of the star, with an expected return between $1,000 and $2,000.

There are additional items from the “Back to Black” singer expected to net under $1,000 each. That includes purses (Vivienne Westwood and Louis Vuitton), black Fendi ballet flats and a Juicy Couture necklace.

The auction is already underway, with the live portion taking place on March 27 at 1 p.m. ET at the Peninsula Beverly Hills.