In the wonderful world of collectors, the clothing worn by their idols is much more than a simple item of clothing, it is a unique object. The passion (or obsession) of owning something that once belonged to that remembered actor or singer translates into astronomical values when these dresses or suits go up for auction. Below we present you from less to more the 11 most expensive items of clothing ever auctioned.
He was a revolutionary of the needle and came to be renamed by Coco Chanel as the “fashion metallurgist” And his passion for innovation led him to turn metal into his favorite fabric. It was precisely a dress made with aluminum pieces designed in 1967 that last January became one of the most expensive in her collection after being auctioned on Fair Warning, a new auction platform, for 101,519 euros.
10- Kate Middleton’s transparent dress: 113,178 euros
In 2011, the transparent dress that Kate Middleton wore in a charity show when she was a student at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) was auctioned for 113,178 euros, a price much higher than what the Kerry Taylor auction house who thought that the garment would not reach a price higher than 14,500 euros. It is believed that the suggestive design played a key role in the current Princess’s romance with the prince williamcWhose love story began right after the parade. Apparently, the Prince of Wales was sitting in the audience when Kate walked on the catwalk in 2002, wearing this dress that revealed her underwear.
9- Princess Diana’s ball dress with John Travolta: 260,884 euros
Diana of Walesknown by many as the “people’s princess”, not only redefined the concept of a princess, but also became a fashion icon. Her sartorial choices left an indelible impression on the fashion world so much so that her unforgettable style has endured to this day. One of her most memorable garments is the black velvet dress that the princess wore in 1985 at an event at the White Housewhere u starredAn unforgettable dance with actor John Travolta that went around the world. Signed by Victor Edelsteinthe garment was acquired in 2019 The Historical Royal Palaces for nothing more and nothing less than 260,884 euros.
8- Audrey Hepburn’s dress in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’: 831,108 euros
We have all dreamed of wearing something as spectacular as the black dress from Audrey Hepburn in breakfast at diamonds. Created with great care by his friend Hubert de Givenchy, This design became one of the most famous dresses in the world of fashion and perhaps one of the most supportive, since its designer donated it to the philanthropist. Dominique Lapierrewho sold it in 2006 for 831,108 euros, which were allocated entirely to his NGO City of Joy in India. “I am absolutely flabbergasted that a piece of fabric that belonged to such a magical actress now allows me to buy bricks and mortar to put the world’s most disadvantaged children in school,” LaPierre said at the time.
7- Michael Jackson’s jacket in ‘Thriller’: 1.3 million euros
Everything he touched he turned into gold and although he was not King Midas he was the king of pop. The black and red leather jacket that Michael Jackson used in ethe video clip of the song ThrillerIt was sold in 2011 for 1.3 million euros. The mythical garment was to pass into the hands of Milton Verreta Texas gold trader, who prevailed over a dozen bidders from around the world and whose sole purpose was to use the jacket to raise funds for children’s hospitals around the world.
6- Princess Diana’s ‘heavenly’ dress: 1.3 million euros
Over the years, several of the dresses worn by Princess Diana have sold for hundreds of thousands of euros at auction, however, if there is one that has attracted special attention it has been the ‘heavenly’ dress designed by Jacques Azagury that Lady Di wore at a dinner at the Palazzo Vecchio of Florence in 1985. Created especially for her, the garment was auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in January 2024, reaching the record figure of 1.3 million euros, thus exceeding its original price of 90,500 euros eleven times and becoming the dress of Princess Diana most expensive ever auctioned.
5- Dress worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’: 1.4 million euros
It was given up as lost, it was found and after overcoming several legal challenges, the iconic blue and white checkered dress that she wore Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz It was sold for 1.4 million euros at a Bonhams auction. The dress consisting of an apron and a blouse, long believed lost, was found in 2022 in the collections of the theater department of the Catholic University of America. This garment is one of two extant dresses that Garland wore during filming. The other was auctioned in 2015 and achieved almost the same amount.
4- Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot dress in ‘My Fair Lady’: 3.4 million euros
Audrey Hepburn made each of the characters she played magical and getting into the skin of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady It was one of his amazing feats. Brilliant in her performance, the actress also knew how to adapt perfectly to her peculiar wardrobe. Winner of eight Oscars (including best costume design), the dress that caught the most attention was the white lace one designed by Cecil Beaton and Hepburn looked in one of the scenes of the film to go to the ascot races. It was sold in 2015 for €3.4 million at a Profiles in History auction.
3- The dress with which Marilyn Monroe sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to John F. Kennedy: 4.6 million euros
It has the label of being the most expensive dress in the world sold at auction and it is no wonder, since the American franchise Ripley’s Believe It or Not! He paid 4.6 million euros for it. Designed in chiffon by the French couturier Jean-Louis and with more than 6,000 hand-sewn crystals, the garment remains in the collective memory of an entire generation for being the outfit chosen by Marilyn Monroe to sing her sensual ‘happy birthday’ to the American president John F. Kennedy in 1962 in the Madison Square Garden. Kept under lock and key, the dress has only been worn on a second occasion when Kim Kardashian surprised by wearing the garment at the 2022 Met Gala.
2- The white dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in ‘Temptation Lives Above’: 5 million euros
If we think of Marilyn Monroe, it is impossible not to imagine her in the white dress she wore in the film Temptation lives above. Designed by William Travillathe dress created a landmark moment in film fashion, with Monroe’s skirt billowing during the subway grate scene of the 1955 classic. Since then, we’ve never seen a halterneck dress or a subway grate from the same way. It was sold for 5 million euros through the Profiles in History auction house in 2011. Until then, it had been part of actress Debbie Reynolds’ collection for more than four decades.
1- Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey: 10.1 million euros
When the shirt of the Chicago Bulls what did he wear Michael Jordan In the first game of the 1998 NBA final, the last one he won, it was auctioned in 2002 for 10.1 million euros, a new chapter was written in the history of sports collecting. The garment not only more than doubled its estimated value, but was crowned the most expensive sports souvenir ever sold. The shirt of the man who is considered the best basketball player of all time managed to unseat the famous Maradona’s “Hand of God” t-shirt which had reached the figure of 8.4 million dollars during its auction at the 1986 World Cup.
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