The ventilation shaft will sadly be missing, but the white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in one of the most iconic scenes in Hollywood history has been released from the vaults.

The halter-neck lifted so memorably by a blast of subway air in The Seven Year Itch in 1955 - believed to be worth £1.5 million - will be among Monroe’s dresses on display at the Hilton Hotel in Brighton this week.

William Travilla was responsible for designing many of those outfits made famous on and off-screen by Monroe. After her mysterious death in 1962, the designer vowed to protect her memory and kept the costumes locked in his own home.

Several studios and private individuals sold the costumes they had accumulated but Travilla, who had become close friends with the actress kept some of the most famous dresses under wraps.

He died in 1990 and left the “Lost Collection” to his partner Bill Sarris, who has chosen to exhibit the dresses for the first time to raise money for Alzheimer’s charities.

The show will also include the gold lame gown and the pink satin dress Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

As well as original costumes such as the purple dress from How to Marry a Millionaire, the exhibition will show sketches and drawings from the design process.

The exhibition runs until Sunday.

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