The most expensive clothes ever auctioned

Will Ferrell confirmed that he wouldn't be returning for a sequel to his Christmas classic, 'Elf' (2003). That meant his costume was up for grabs! The company Prop Store obtained and auctioned his iconic Buddy the Elf costume, expecting to earn somewhere between US$27,600 and US$41,000. Needless to say, they were blown away when the winning bid reached US$296,702! The dedicated buyer chose to remain anonymous.

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Queen Victoria's bloomers -

Bloomers are a divided garment that were popular in the 19th century and are worn by women on their lower bodies.

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The bid: US$13,704 -

However, when a pair of bloomers have been sported by Queen Victoria, they become worth a lot more than their stitching!

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Princess Leia's 'Return of the Jedi' bikini -

Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia serving as Jabba the Hutt's chained, bikini-clad slave has stoked nerd fantasies for more than 35 years. But in recent years, the scenes surrounding her enslavement in 1983's 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi' have been a point of controversy.

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The bid: US$96,000 -

Nonetheless, in 2015 an anonymous buyer paid US$96,000 for the costume, which came complete with Leia's collar and chains.

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'Back to the Future II' Nike Air Mags -

Michael J. Fox starred in 'Back to the Future II' in 1989 as Marty McFly, a character whose shoes gathered a lot of notoriety. They were futuristic and tied themselves.

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The bid: US$92,100 -

The pair of sneakers worn in the film had a crumbling heel, a cracked midsole, and a detached outsole, but still they were sold to the highest bidder on eBay for US$92,100.

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Kate Middleton's see-through dress -

Kate Middleton brought a new era of elegance to the British royal family. During a London fashion show in 2002, she walked the runway in a mesh dress that left little to the imagination.

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The bid: US$125,000 -

Nine years after Middleton sported the dress on the runway, an anonymous British man coughed up six figures for the garment. The designer is photographed here with the dress.

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Princess Diana's 'John Travolta' White House dress -

In 1985, when Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited Ronald Reagan at the White House, Princess Diana took to the dance floor with film star John Travolta.

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The bid: US$360,000 -

The dress that the late princess wore that night fetched US$360,000 at auction.

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1972 Nike 'Moon Shoe' -

The Moon Shoe by Nike is one of the most significant developments of the sporting brand's history. The sole of the shoe was designed by Oregon University track-and-field coaching icon and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who poured hot rubber into his wife's waffle iron to form the shape.

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The bid: US$437,500 -

The shoe became iconic for allowing its wearers more sole traction and was called the Moon Shoe because its print resembled those left by the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon. Around half a dozen pairs exist today. The pair which went for almost half a million dollars were unworn.

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'Shattered Backboard' Air Jordan 1s -

Thanks to 'The Last Dance' documentary released in 2020, Jordan memorabilia became as popular as ever, and in August 2020 a pair of Air Jordan 1s, similar to those pictured, sold for a huge sum.

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The bid: US$615,000 -

The pair had been worn by number 23 when he famously shattered the backboard during a pre-season game in Italy.

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Holly Golightly's dress from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' -

Audrey Hepburn starred as Holly Golightly in 1961's romantic comedy 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' a role which would turn out to be one of her most iconic.

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The bid: US$807,000 -

The famous black Givenchy dress she wore in the blockbuster surprised experts, as it went for around six times more than what it was estimated to.

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Von Trapp drapery outfits from 'The Sound of Music' -

The 1965 film 'The Sound of Music' is one of the most iconic movies of all time. The costumes went to auction in 2013.

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The bid: US$1.6 million -

A biding war raged over the course of two days, and Julie Andrews' brown "Do-Re-Mi" dress and the drapery outfits worn by the Von Trapp children sold for US$360,000 more than the highest pre-sale estimate.

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Michael Jackson's 'Bad' tour jacket -

The tour was the first that Michael Jackson embarked upon solo, and it stretched across 16 months. It included 123 concerts performed to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries.

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The bid: US$289,000 -

The red jacket that MJ wore on the tour, singing songs from the 'Bad' album like 'Smooth Criminal,' sold at auction for over a quarter of a million dollars.

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Dorothy's dress from 'The Wizard of Oz' -

A young Judy Garland took to the screen in 'The Wizard of Oz' in 1939.

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The bid: US$1.6 million -

The blue dress that Garland wore in the film went on auction in New York City in 2015, and was sold to the highest bidder for US$1.6 million.

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Marilyn Monroe's 'Seven Year Itch' subway grate dress -

In the 1955 film, Richard Sherman (played by Tom Ewell) ships his wife and son off to vacation in Maine and encounters a gorgeous young model who happens to move in upstairs in his New York City apartment.

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The bid: US$4.5 million -

The dress that was worn by Marilyn Monroe in that iconic scene where her character is struggling to keep her white dress down while standing over a drafty subway grate sold for US$4.5 million at an auction in Beverly Hills.

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Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday' dress -

Another dress that sold for an astronomical sum at auction was the one Monroe wore when she sang at a Democratic rally in 1962 for President John F. Kennedy's birthday.

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The bid: US$4.8 million -

Monroe sang very intimately to the president that evening in a performance that would turn out to be one of her last, as she passed away less than three months later.

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Eliza Doolittle's 'My Fair Lady' ascot dress -

Another one of the most expensive pieces of clothing to ever sell at auction was, once again, worn by Audrey Hepburn. This time, it was in the film 'My Fair Lady' from 1964.

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The bid: $4.4 million -

Fellow actress Debbie Reynolds spent the majority of her life collecting tens of thousands of photographs, articles of clothing, props, and other famous keepsakes from some of the biggest movies in history. She added this dress to her collection for almost four and a half million dollars.

Sources: (Cheapism)

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Will Ferrell's 'Elf' costume -

NL Beeld/Getty Images

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Queen Victoria's bloomers -

Bloomers are a divided garment that were popular in the 19th century and are worn by women on their lower bodies.

Getty Images

2 / 30 Fotos

The bid: US$13,704 -

However, when a pair of bloomers have been sported by Queen Victoria, they become worth a lot more than their stitching!

Getty Images

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Princess Leia's 'Return of the Jedi' bikini -

Getty Images

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The bid: US$96,000 -

Nonetheless, in 2015 an anonymous buyer paid US$96,000 for the costume, which came complete with Leia's collar and chains.

NL Beeld

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'Back to the Future II' Nike Air Mags -

Michael J. Fox starred in 'Back to the Future II' in 1989 as Marty McFly, a character whose shoes gathered a lot of notoriety. They were futuristic and tied themselves.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$92,100 -

The pair of sneakers worn in the film had a crumbling heel, a cracked midsole, and a detached outsole, but still they were sold to the highest bidder on eBay for US$92,100.

Shutterstock

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Kate Middleton's see-through dress -

Kate Middleton brought a new era of elegance to the British royal family. During a London fashion show in 2002, she walked the runway in a mesh dress that left little to the imagination.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$125,000 -

Nine years after Middleton sported the dress on the runway, an anonymous British man coughed up six figures for the garment. The designer is photographed here with the dress.

NL Beeld

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Princess Diana's 'John Travolta' White House dress -

In 1985, when Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited Ronald Reagan at the White House, Princess Diana took to the dance floor with film star John Travolta.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$360,000 -

The dress that the late princess wore that night fetched US$360,000 at auction.

NL Beeld

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1972 Nike 'Moon Shoe' -

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$437,500 -

NL Beeld

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'Shattered Backboard' Air Jordan 1s -

Thanks to 'The Last Dance' documentary released in 2020, Jordan memorabilia became as popular as ever, and in August 2020 a pair of Air Jordan 1s, similar to those pictured, sold for a huge sum.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$615,000 -

The pair had been worn by number 23 when he famously shattered the backboard during a pre-season game in Italy.

NL Beeld

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Holly Golightly's dress from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' -

Audrey Hepburn starred as Holly Golightly in 1961's romantic comedy 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' a role which would turn out to be one of her most iconic.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$807,000 -

The famous black Givenchy dress she wore in the blockbuster surprised experts, as it went for around six times more than what it was estimated to.

Getty Images

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Von Trapp drapery outfits from 'The Sound of Music' -

The 1965 film 'The Sound of Music' is one of the most iconic movies of all time. The costumes went to auction in 2013.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$1.6 million -

Getty Images

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Michael Jackson's 'Bad' tour jacket -

The tour was the first that Michael Jackson embarked upon solo, and it stretched across 16 months. It included 123 concerts performed to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries.

Getty Images

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The bid: US$289,000 -

The red jacket that MJ wore on the tour, singing songs from the 'Bad' album like 'Smooth Criminal,' sold at auction for over a quarter of a million dollars.

Getty Images

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Dorothy's dress from 'The Wizard of Oz' -

A young Judy Garland took to the screen in 'The Wizard of Oz' in 1939.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$1.6 million -

The blue dress that Garland wore in the film went on auction in New York City in 2015, and was sold to the highest bidder for US$1.6 million.

NL Beeld

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Marilyn Monroe's 'Seven Year Itch' subway grate dress -

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$4.5 million -

NL Beeld

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Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday' dress -

Another dress that sold for an astronomical sum at auction was the one Monroe wore when she sang at a Democratic rally in 1962 for President John F. Kennedy's birthday.

NL Beeld

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The bid: US$4.8 million -

Monroe sang very intimately to the president that evening in a performance that would turn out to be one of her last, as she passed away less than three months later.

Getty Images

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Eliza Doolittle's 'My Fair Lady' ascot dress -

Another one of the most expensive pieces of clothing to ever sell at auction was, once again, worn by Audrey Hepburn. This time, it was in the film 'My Fair Lady' from 1964.

NL Beeld

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The bid: $4.4 million -

Sources: (Cheapism)

NL Beeld

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The most expensive clothes ever auctioned

Used clothes can be among the priciest items!

21/10/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Fashion

In most cases when we think of used clothing, we think of second-hand stores, hand-me-downs from friends and family, or even a signed jersey. But second-hand clothes don't just have sentimental value: they can be some of the most expensive items around! Depending on who squeezed into it, when they wore it, and what it represented, these items can rack up millions.

To discover some of the most expensive pieces of clothing ever sold at auction, click through the gallery.