Pre-worn celebrity clothes generated the highest bids during Wednesday’s “Bold Luxury: Bob Mackie, Stage Glamour & The Couture Edit” sale at Julien’s in Los Angeles.
The all-day event at The Peninsula Beverly Hills was on track to rack up $1 million in sales, well above the pre-auction estimate of $400,000 to $600,000, according to Julien’s cofounder and executive director Martin Nolan. Reached as the sale was winding down, he said that some competitive bidding was prompted by looks that Sabrina Carpenter, Princess Diana and Britney Spears once sported. A few dozen designs that Mackie designed anchored the sale.
As for the interest, Nolan didn’t just chalk that up to the combination of high-quality luxury items and holiday shoppers, but also the fact that stylists were on the hunt for their clients. “It’s very fashionable now to be seen wearing Bob Mackie especially, or even other designer labels, as we are more conscious of sustainability,” he said. “Also, auctions are a place to get items that are not mass produced or on the high street now. You can buy something and stand out at the holiday party or wherever you are buying it for.”
The top seller was an Atelier Versace evening suit that Princess Diana once owned that sold for $89,600, nearly triple the estimated pre-sale opening price. The buyer is “a big collector” of Princess Diana memorabilia, and “will probably make her own announcement” about her latest acquisition once she has it in her possession, Nolan said.
An archival Bob Mackie crystal-embellished gown that Carpenter chose for her Grand Ole Opry debut in October went under the gavel for $55,200 — far exceeding the pre-auction estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. (Ann-Margret wore the original design in the 1970s.) The buyer for the frock prefers to stay anonymous for now, Nolan said. The Grammy winner has been in the news this week, having pushed back against the Trump administration for using one of her songs, “Juno,” for posting a video of what appeared to be ICE agents apprehending people with her music as a backdrop. In response, Carpenter posted on “X” that “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
Thirty or 40 people turned up in person for the sale but most of the bidding was online or by phone, Nolan said. Two lots of Seodamhwa Hanbok silk organza ensembles that were once worn by the members of the K-pop girl group New Jeans — Hanni, Haerin, Hyein, Minji and Danielle — were sold for $28,400, which quadruped the estimate. A Britney Spears leather vest that the musician wore for her 2007 “Gimme More” video sold for $19,200 — more than nine times its estimate. “That was a big surprise,” Nolan said.
As for what the strong interest in the celebrity-studded sale says about pop culture, Nolan said, “We are all living in the world of digital. We do everything on our phones. We shop, we play, we work. We’re all human beings who need contact — something physical in our lives. At a time when people are buying things with cryptocurrency, we need something tangible. These are great conversation starters and they’re investments. Years from now you can see it for more than what you pay for it today,” he said.
Another standout item was a Mackie-designed performance costume from 1978 for Cher that went for $57,600 — a hike from the $8,000 to $10,000 estimate. There were also finds that had ties to Tina Turner, Beyoncé, Madonna, Whitney Houston and Carol Burnett. A Mackie design with wings that Turner performed in sold for $19,200, “only two times” its estimate, Nolan said.
Bob Mackie
Photo Courtesy
Having just returned along with Mackie from Cunard’s “Transatlantic Fashion Week,” he said the crossing from New York to the U.K. was a little rough, due to late season hurricanes. Once in London, though, they welcomed Carpenter to a private preview of the auction at the London Stafford. “She’s a huge fan of Bob Mackie. She wore Bob Mackie,” Nolan said.
Another two-time Grammy winner, Ariana Grande, also ducked in for an under-the-radar preview. After walking the red carpet at the London premiere of “Wicked: For Good,” Grande buzzed by and then returned to the premiere after the screening, Nolan said.