The November 29 ‘Passion for Fashion’ auction in London had some memorable pieces for sale, with the whole collection going for over £590,000 (£708,000 with buyer’s premium.) Says auctioneer Kerry Taylor, “This sale demonstrates that even in these difficult economic times that the appetite for fine haute couture and antique costume is undiminished and we are already looking forward to our next auction in February.”
Included was Lot 174: ‘Elizabeth Taylor’s Balenciaga couture gold figured cloqué silk sari gown, Autumn-Winter, 1964′. Liz Taylor had an appreciation for gold:
Double Oscar-winner Taylor wore the famous one-shoulder gold brocade Sari gown, designed by Cristobal Balenciaga, with the Port Talbot-born actor at the New Review Lido premiere in Paris, in December 1964.
Her hair was plaited and interlaced with ribbons by the top Parisian hairdresser, Alexandre de Paris, and she carried a gold clutch bag and wore golden shoes to match.
Taylor, who died aged 79 in March, had a slender 24-inch waist when she wore the gown, which sold for £31,200.
Liz Jones ruminates about the relationship between the clothes and the women’s lives:
I am contemplating this while standing in a huge and decidedly unglamorous warehouse in south London, surrounded by three outfits hung on mannequins. These gowns belonged to three of the most beautiful and famous women who ever lived — Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana. [...]
I ask Kerry whether the warehouse becomes spooky late at night, given the gowns’ owners are invariably dead. ‘It doesn’t, but I do believe the dresses retain some essence of the wearer,’ she says.
Alexander McQueen black velvet and bugle beaded evening gown, £78,000
Disaya printed chiffon dress worn by Amy Winehouse, £43,200
Emanuel replica of H.R.H. Princess Diana’s bridal gown, £48,000
duplicate Diana bridal shoes by Clive Shilton, £36,000
gentleman’s banyan, circa 1730-40, £28,800
An Imperial dragon robe, £24,000
