Top, Lohan in hair and makeup; above, as Monroe, with Stern.   (Photo: Styling by Elizabeth Stewart and George Kotsiopoulos/Margaret Maldonado Agency; hair by Andy Lecompte for Sunsilk/Solo Artists; makeup by Paul Starr for Chanel/Magnet LA; Vintage scarf by The Way We Wore, Los Angeles)

On Tuesday, February 5, under the cloak of secrecy, Lindsay Lohan went to the Hotel Bel-Air to meet photographer Bert Stern and restage the legendary series of photographs Stern had taken of Marilyn Monroe in 1962, six weeks before her death—a portfolio of pictures known as “The Last Sitting.” How did it come about? Stern had decided that Lohan was the perfect actress for this project, and when he asked us if we might be interested in working with him on it, we were, naturally, more than enthusiastic. So was Lohan—the 21-year-old happens to be a Monroe fanatic (you can read more about her in Amanda Fortini’s story)—still, we sent her Stern’s book so she could study up on the shoot. That morning, Lohan arrived (ten minutes early, actually). Hair and makeup took two hours; there were three wig changes to get precisely the right shape and shade of platinum. Stern duplicated the original 1962 set, down to the lighting. Lohan was unafraid of some of the eerier parallels between herself and Monroe, and she embraced every aspect of the shoot. She knew that Monroe had worn little more than a chiffon scarf, and she came with the same spirit. Seven hours and hundreds of frames later, the pictures were made. Photographer and star were satisfied, and photo director Jody Quon flew home, just a little stunned that it had happened at all.

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