Hepburn wardrobe fetches hundreds of thousands at London auction

Kerry Taylor's auction of actress Audrey Hepburn's iconic wardrobe brought in a whopping £268,320 (€296,617), amounting to twice the amount initially hoped for.

The most expensive dress of the auction was a lace gown by Givenchy, worn by Hepburn in How to steal a million, which went for £60,000 (€66,327), triple its estimate, to an anonymous buyer.

None of the buyers were named, but Taylor - who called the event an auction "the like of which will never be seen again" - said that the saleroom at London's Pall Mall had been packed with collectors and museum representatives from all over the world on the day of the auction (December 8).

One US museum paid £18,000 (€19,898) for another dress by Givenchy, the French designer responsible for Hepburn's entire professional wardrobe after the two personalities met in 1953.

Hepburn's bridal dress for her planned wedding to actor James Hanson (which she called off) sold for a comparably small £13,800 (€15,255).

The sale, which fetched a total of £542,040, also included lots outside the Audrey Hepburn collection, with a Coco Chanel dress selling for £24,000 (€26,531). It had been bought for a two-digit price at a vintage auction a few years ago.

Site: www.kerrytaylorauctions.com