The Girl With the Golden Wardrobe
On June 18, thousands of the most iconic costumes and props in Hollywood history will come to the auction block, a singular assemblage of art, fashion and nostalgia. Steeped in historical and cultural significance, it is perhaps one of the most emotion-laden collections of all time. Judy Garland’s ruby-red slippers and cotton dress from “The Wizard of Oz,” Charlie Chaplin’s signature bowler, and the “drapery” hat Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) donned to woo Rhett Butler are just a handful of the pieces selectively and methodically acquired over four decades by Debbie Reynolds, who has finally given up trying to find her vast collection a home.
So how do you value a dress that once supported the curves of Marilyn Monroe? Handsomely, it seems. Arguably the most prized item in the collection, Monroe’s legendary halter-neck dress from “The Seven Year Itch,” famous for its leg-flashing subway grate scene, is estimated to fetch $1 million to $2 million. To examine the pieces up close, as I recently did, is to gain a rich appreciation for their craftsmanship and intricacy. Designed by Travilla, Monroe’s crepe dress has more pleats than one would imagine, and a closer inspection reveals the tiny, hand-sewn stitches and light boning that create a built-in bra. The years have turned it from white to ecru, but the magic is still there. As Reynolds’s daughter, the writer and actress Carrie Fisher, says, “Costumes carry the energy of the actors who wore them; they are infused with the power of the stars and stories that inspired and empowered us.”
Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot gown, created by Oscar-winning designer Cecil Beaton, was made to be worn while posing and has leaded weights sewn into the hem to keep the train in place. Yet as spectacular as the high-necked dress is, it is the hat that takes your breath away. The detail is exquisite: Atop the large ivory silk base, what looks like black velvet is actually a very deep purple and there is a small grouping of dried flowers to the side, a mix of violets, wheat and red roses, in homage to Eliza Doolittle’s flower-girl days. The green beads hand-sewn on Claudette Colbert’s gold lamé gown from Cecil B. DeMille’s 1934 “Cleopatra” still shimmer, while the evening dress Irene Sharaff designed for Barbra Streisand in “Hello, Dolly!” has over a pound of woven gold and real crystals sewn throughout, costing over $100,000 to make in 1969. The almost endless list of costumes reaches back over 100 years of film history and includes those worn by almost every major star: Rudolph Valentino, Greta Garbo, Douglas Fairbanks, Bette Davis, Julie Andrews, Marlon Brando. . . And yet it took one lone actress with incredible determination to amass this collection.