Marilyn’s risqué Cleopatra outfit tipped to sell 
for £500,000

And now a revealing costume that Marilyn Monroe wore in a bid to land a role that was given to Elizabeth Taylor is expected to fetch up to £500,000 when it is auctioned off next week.

The outfit, a gold braid bustier and bikini bottoms complete with a headdress, chiffon skirt and jewellery, was worn by the Hollywood legend in the 1950s when she posed for famed photographer Richard Avedon for Life magazine in 1958.

It was based on the costume worn by silent-screen siren Theda Bara in her most famous role – playing Cleopatra in a 1917 film.

Monroe used the picture when she tried to get the part of the Egyptian queen in the 1963 film, sending it to the boss of Fox Studios, but she lost the role to her great rival Taylor.

It is one of more than 100 lots offered for auction at Christie’s pop culture sale in London on December 16.

Also going under the hammer is a black leather motorcycle jacket worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The jacket, valued at £25,000, includes several custom-made bullet holes.

A Gretsch guitar made for U2 frontman Bono and signed by all four members of the band is valued at £180,000, while a painting by Bob Dylan of his wife Sara is expected to sell for £70,000.

Film fans can bid for screenplays from The Godfather or scripts for Gone with the Wind.