On Thursday morning at 10 a.m., Los Angeles auction house Julien's launched one of its long-awaited auctions titled “Unstoppable: Signature Styles from Iconic Women in Fashion.” Specializing in Hollywood clothing and objects, as well as garments worn by various celebrities on special occasions such as birthdays or award ceremonies, this time the star of the house, with permission from Dior designs or Balenciaga haute couture dresses. It was lot 31. This was the white tutu that Sarah Jessica Parker wore for the end credits of Sex and the City during the show's six seasons (from 1998 to 2004) and that she also wore in a scene from the film of the same name. 2008. It went for $2,000 and the auction house estimated it could reach $8,000 or even $12,000. The auction had not yet started and the online bids began to rise rapidly: 5,000, 10,000, 12,500… The fifth value rose to 30,000, and already in the middle of the auction, in a final push, it reached the final price of 40,000 US dollars . The garment cost the show's stylist, Patricia Field, just five dollars 25 years ago. Adjusted for inflation, it would be a little less than $10, but the investment was still worth it.
Even those in charge of the auction were “excited” about the sale of what they called a “key piece.” “Sex in New York defines female empowerment, fashion, style… Plus, we all remember the moment the water splashes on her. It's a historical piece. “It defined the series and defined an era,” the auction director said from his lectern, gavel in hand.
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As explained in the technical data sheet, the design consisted of a three-layer skirt made of white tulle with a satin ribbon waistband in the same color. The measurements are 58 centimeters in the waist, 81 in the hips and 40 in the length. The pink body, they explain using Juliens, is not the one used in the series. The skirt has no label or size. It was the famous costume designer Patricia Field – Sarah Jessica Parker herself asked her to take responsibility for the clothing of the fiction after working together on the film Miami in 1995 – who found her in the so-called Garment District of New York (an area) (one of the many clothing stores between 6th and 9th Avenues, on 35th Street and next to Madison Square Garden) in a container full of clothes selling for five dollars. The original idea of the creator of the iconic outfits of columnist Carrie Bradshaw, the character played by Parker, was that in the credits she would wear a Marc Jacobs dress from the designer's spring 1998 collection that Kate Moss wore on the runway, but she recognized , that she didn't want something so anchored in time that she identified with an era, and that she preferred something more timeless. He saw the perfect piece in the tutu. In addition, the actress herself was enthusiastic about the idea.
In fact, there are five of these tutus in total; This would be the fifth. Since it does not have a size, label or elements of identification, Field has included a certificate of authenticity for the auction confirming that it is one of the series. Parker himself said in a video for Vogue magazine that several were needed, precisely because in the scene a bus splashes and stains them, and it is important to have several. “A lot of people claim to have the tutu. I know Patricia Field has one, [el guionista y director] “Michael Patrick has another one… We only used one, but I imagine there were probably four, five or six since that sequence includes the moment of splashing,” he said. The outfit included the pink t-shirt and some Jimmy Choo sandals. They rehearsed several times and didn't have to do too many takes, the actress recalled. “Pat and I talked about a lot of options and in the end we decided on this: tank top, tutu and heels. Because there were several of them [tutús], many people say they have them. I don't think I… Do I have a tutu? If I have one. Where is it, who has it?” he asked.
Sarah Jessica Parker's tutu from “Sex and the City” on display at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. Behind it is a design by John Galliano for Dior. Unique Nicole (Getty Images)
The show's lead actor became a hit and Sarah Jessica Parker's overall appearance and style were widely imitated. She wore the item again in the first Sex and the City film in 2008 when she found it while clearing out her closet. Her friends Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, who are present as she tries on the clothes, give her a unanimous “Keep it!” when I saw it.
The other big star of the auction was a Diana of Wales cocktail dress. Made from black velvet with a black and white satin stripe on both the bare shoulders and hem, it is mid-calf and has long sleeves. It was designed by Catherine Walker, one of the Princess's favorite fashion designers. It is estimated that Diana wore more than 1,000 of her designs throughout her life. This was specifically for a private event in 1993. The bids started at $25,000, but the end was unstoppable: they rose from 100,000 to 150,000, then jumped to 200,000 and with a final bid the amount was increased to no less than $250,000. However, it failed to break the record set by Julien's last year for a dress worn by Charles III's ex-wife. was worn by England: In December, a blue and black suit by Jacques Azagury sold for just over 1.1 million dollars. In September a jersey was sold for 600,000.
Also of note is a short green Givenchy haute couture dress with matching jacket that Princess Grace of Monaco wore with Raniero on a visit to the Kennedys in 1961. It cost no less than $250,000 and the price was $15,000.
President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie Kennedy receive Grace Kelly in Givenchy and Raniero of Monaco at the White House in June 1981. Bettmann (Bettmann archive)
The auction included a total of 122 lots. The first was the dress Paris Hilton wore on the cover of her eponymous album in 2006. Featuring a strapless bodice and a ruffled tulle skirt at the bottom, it was designed by Louis Verdad. The starting price was $2,000, but before the auction began it had already been set at $4,500 (although it was expected to reach $8,000 to $10,000). In addition to Hilton's, there were clothes from celebrities like sisters Kim and Khloé Kardashian, as well as dresses from Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Fendi, Nina Ricci, Vivienne Westwood, Ungaro, Versace, a Chanel ski suit (which sold for $6,000) . a 2008 Alexander McQueen dress printed with the face of Elizabeth II (called “The Girl Who Lived in the Tree”) for just $900 or a Dior dress by John Galliano. A Spring 2000 dress by this designer featuring his famous newspaper print was auctioned; From $2,000 to $9,000. Rei Kawakubo's dresses for Comme des Garçons were also a hit, going from $200 to over $2,200. The dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent that Audrey Hepburn wore to her son Lucas' christening in 1970 sold for $10,000, while another designed by Karl Lagerfeld for a 1968 Elizabeth Taylor film sold for $4,500. A Delphos dress by Mariano Fortuny sold for just $350.
Various covers of the album “Paris” by Paris Hilton.Bruno Vincent (Getty Images)
A gold Burberry trench coat that Whitney Houston wore on stage during a performance in Morocco in 2008 is also for sale. It started at $700 and was already at $3,500 before the auction began, which is the final price. Another of Lady Gaga's white leather trench coats, designed by Tamuna Ingorovka, also sold (it went for $700 and bidding remained at $3,000), as well as some pants and shoes from Dolce & Gabbana that Cher bought in the year Wore at a post-Oscars party in 2000 (he left). for 700 and sold for 4,500). Some of the pieces came from the auction house itself, but some individuals also auctioned off their items: Joan Collins sold some of her wardrobe, such as Chanel dresses and jackets, as well as some of her jewelry, and former employees of Elizabeth Taylor sold her unused ones Clothing. Suits from the Dallas series and rings and earrings from the Dynasty series, which belonged to the head of the costume department, could also be purchased.