Elizabeth Taylor's 'Golden Gowns' auction at London Passion for Fashion sale

We've already reported on Elizabeth Taylor's jewellery and some of her gowns which are appearing for sale at Christie's in December.

But a selection of the Hollywood legend's dresses are also set to auction before then, at Kerry Taylor's Passion for Fashion auction on November 29.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's romance began on the set of 'Cleopatra' in 1961. At the time they were married to Eddie Fisher and Sybil Williams respectively.

It was not until 1964 that their divorces were complete and they were able to re-marry which they did in Montreal on March 15, 1964.

The film was renowned for its lavish, opulent sets filled with gilded furniture and decorations and it seems that Elizabeth developed something of a penchant for gold herself.

The two ensembles offered for auction were both made when the Burton's were still relative newly-weds in 1964.

elizabeth-taylor-dresses-at-kerry-taylor-auctions
The Chanel shift dress with matching jacket (left) and the famous 'Sari' gown

One is a simple Chanel shift dress with matching jacket in rich textured, gold brocatelle (lot 173, estimated at £10,000-15,000), the other is the famous 'Sari' gown designed for her by Cristobal Balenciaga (lot 174, estimated at £30,000-£50,000).

Taylor wore the dress of gold brocade as she was photographed with Richard Burton when they attended the premiere of the New Review Lido in Paris, in December 1964.

Her hair was plaited and interlaced with ribbons by the top Parisienne hairdresser, Alexandre de Paris. She carried a gold clutch bag and wore golden shoes to match.

She looked stunning and the pair made a handsome couple. Miss Taylor was quite curvaceous at this point and the gown boasts a 37 inch bust and a slender 24 inch waist.

The two ensembles were given to the Burton's friend and accountant in the 1960s, whose wife was a similar size to Elizabeth Taylor. They have remained with the family ever since and are sold with letters of authenticity signed by the vendor.

'The best designer in the world at the time'

"Both of these dresses were worn by Elizabeth Taylor at her most beautiful, slender and curvaceous," Kerry Taylor told Paul Fraser Collectibles

"If you look in the photographs of her wearing them, she also appears to be at her most happy having just met a delicious Welshman [Burton]! And of course both designed for her by Cristobal Balenciaga - a genius, probably the best designer in the world at the time.

"In the case of the shift dress with matching jacket, most women at the time would have perhaps worn that in tweed, but Liz wore hers in gold brocatelle! Very fitting in the wake of her success as Cleopatra."

Given the present buzz surrounding celebrity dresses, Kerry has high hopes that the dress could exceed its pre-sale estimate. "I would love it to!" she said.

Earlier this year, enthusiastic telephone bidders pushed Marilyn Monroe's iconic Seven Year Itch dress to a final $5.6m price, well beyond its estimate, at Profiles in History's auction of the Debbie Reynolds collection.

Watch this space for more news on the sale.


 

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