Is it the magic of cinema, the artistic performance of the actors, or maybe the talent of a costume designer? The incredible popularity of certain outfits that are portrayed in movies is still hard to explain. However, the fact that people are willing to spend a fortune on them is undeniable. From Audrey Hepburn’s iconic black dress to Marilyn Monroe’s symbolic silk outfit, we’ll tell you all about the most expensive clothing in the history of cinema.
AUDREY HEPBURN’S Dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), $923,000
An exemplary symbol from the famous movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is the girl wearing sunglasses and a tight black dress, who is having breakfast near the window of jewelry store Tiffany & Co. The main character, Holly Golightly, is played by the great Audrey Hepburn. The film itself is considered one of the most stylish films of the last century. Perhaps, it is largely because Hubert de Givenchy, the designer of the legendary black dress, was a close friend of the actress. “I will be a stylish Holly Golightly, even if that’s the only contribution I can make,” Audrey said before the shooting of the film. The Givenchy outfit helped her to pull this off with ease. The black dress, which later became the epitome of Parisian chic, was sold in 2006 at Christie’s Auction. It was purchased by an anonymous buyer for 467,000 pounds, which amounted to almost 923,000 US dollars at the time.
STEVE MCQUEEN Racing Suit from Le Mans (1971), $984,000
Feminine outfits weren’t the only ones to be sold at record auction prices. The racing suit, in which Steve McQueen competed for the “gold” of Le Mans in the eponymous film, also found its generous and loyal buyer. An interesting fact – previously, the suit belonged to a man named Timothy Davis. He won it in The Observer magazine contest more than 40 years ago and eventually forgot about it. Upon remembering that he had an iconic article of clothing stored away, Davis decided to sell it. As a result, he earned $155,000. In 2011, the same lot was auctioned off at Icons of Hollywood in Beverly Hills. But this time, its final cost was a whopping $984,000, making it the most expensive racing memorabilia ever sold.
JUDY GARLAND’S Costume from the movie “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), $1.5 million
The sweet and innocent look of Dorothy, as performed by Judy Garland, would be completely different if it were not for the blue-and-white checkered dress. The costume belonging to the main character in The Wizard of Oz was complemented by a patterned white tunic and short sleeves. Curiously, the outfit was partly handmade, and the inside of the dress even has a patch with the name of the actress who wore it. Judy Garland’s cotton outfit from the musical fairy tale The Wizard of Oz was auctioned off at Bonhams in 2015. The auction started at $800,000. However, the auction winner eventually shelled out a whopping $1.5 million for Dorothy’s outfit!
AUDREY HEPBURN’S Dress from the movie My Fair Lady (1964), $3.7 million
Another outfit adorned by Audrey Hepburn managed to collect an impressive amount at auction. This time, we’re talking about the black and white dress in which the actress appeared in the famous American film, My Fair Lady. Like no other, it was the best way to characterize the transformation of an ordinary flower girl Eliza into a beautiful lady. However, it was in this delicate dress with lace inserts that the protagonist utters the legendary phrase regarding her aunt and the inheritance of said aunt’s hat: “Them has pinched it, done her in.” Nonetheless, her appearance in the luxurious outfit with a matching hat was definitely memorable!
It is not surprising that the creator of the dress, Cecil Beaton, won an Oscar for best costume design. But that is not the end of the story of Eliza’s outfit. In 2011, the dress was put up for auction at Profiles in History with a starting price of $100,000. However, the final cost was orders of magnitude higher. Specifically, the dress was sold for a cool 3.7 million US dollars and became one of the most expensive lots in the history of not only that particular auction house, but also in the history of cinema at the time.
MARILYN MONROE’S Dress from the movie “The Seven Year Itch” (1955), $4.6 million
A spectacular blonde stands on a subway ventilation grate holding the hem of a snow-white dress as it’s fluttering in the wind — this shot from the movie “The Seven Year Itch” has gone down as one of the most iconic moments in Hollywood history. It could not have gone any other way! After all, it was Marilyn Monroe herself who played the part of the beauty in the memorable pleated dress with a deep neckline.
Even people who are far removed from cinema can easily recognize the emblematic scene. Therefore, it is not surprising that the totemic dress has become the most expensive costume in the history of cinema. In 2011, Marilyn’s white faux silk dress was auctioned off at Profiles In History for a record $4.6 million!