The Rare Le Creuset Color Marilyn Monroe Loved And Collected

Le Creuset redefined cast iron cookware when it came up with its innovative, enamel-coated designs in 1925. The French company is still a leader in the field today for many reasons, one being how aesthetically pleasing the colorful pieces are. Yes, Le Creuset's equipment is durable and high performing, but let's be real — a lot of us have dreamed about those $400 Dutch ovens for far more superficial reasons. The company has some classic designs that never change, like the signature red-hued Flame, but it experiments with a lot of other colors too, like one vintage yellow that was the personal favorite of Marilyn Monroe.

The Elysée Yellow was launched to much fanfare in 1955. The muted lemon shade was an instant success, enticing cooking enthusiasts and collectors alike to buy the available pieces, so much so that even Monroe wanted in on the action. The iconic Hollywood star is said to have owned a 12-piece Elysée Yellow set, which included a 15.5-quart oval Dutch oven (the largest size available) and the 3.75-quart round Dutch oven. Monroe owned two Elysée Yellow Le Creuset pots too, as well as three frying pans and a dish for potatoes au gratin.

Le Creuset only produced items in Elysée Yellow from 1955 until 1975, which resulted in Monroe's set becoming even more precious. In 1999, it went up for auction through Christie's, which estimated its worth at between $600 and $800. The set ended up being sold for a whopping $25,300, which equates to over $50,000 in today's dollars.

You won't need to pay as much for pieces not owned by celebrities, but like many valuable vintage cookware sets, they'll still cost a pretty penny. At the time of writing, an unverified, chipped 2-quart round Elysée Yellow Dutch oven was selling on Etsy for $255, which is almost as much as a brand new version. A terrine was listed for $249 on eBay, which is more than a new one. The average lifespan of Le Creuset piece is long, but there's no way of knowing whether a second-hand one is real or not before you bring it somewhere for valuation.

If you don't want to take any chances, Le Creuset does currently offer another shade of pastel yellow called Chamomile. Inspired by the flower of the same name, the creamy hue is reminiscent of the Elysée Yellow, with a little more vibrancy. A deeper shade of yellow called Nectar is available as part of the Classic collection too. It may not have been Monroe's favorite but it still works.