One of the 20th century's most iconic dresses, the floor-length sleeveless black Givenchy sheath worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Truman Capote's l961 romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's, was sold yesterday at Christies in London for £410,000 (€607,000). Deirdre McQuillan, Fashion Editor, reports
This was almost seven times its pre-sale estimate.
The bidders included William Doyle, chief executive of Newbridge Silver in Co Kildare, who wanted the dress as "a cultural symbol" for his company. He bid up to £405,000 but was outdone by an anonymous French telephone bidder.
The price is believed to be a record for a dress worn in a movie.
It epitomised Hepburn's spare elegance, a style that still holds sway in fashion. Givenchy first met Hepburn when he was 26 years old and she was almost 24. They remained collaborators and friends until her death in l993 at the age of 63.
The dress was one of three versions made for her; one remains in the Givenchy archive in Paris and another in the Museum of Costume in Madrid.
"I am somewhat disappointed," Mr Doyle told The Irish Times, "but I gave it as good a shot as I could. It would have been the ultimate symbol of the kind of standards to which we aspire in our own work and design. It would have heightened our profile in the fashion world and drawn some international attention as well."
Afterwards, a member of the City of Joy Aid charity, which helps destitute children in India and was the beneficiary of the sale of the dress, congratulated Mr Doyle for "upping the ante" in the bidding.
A long-time fan of Audrey Hepburn and of Tiffany's, Mr Doyle did, however, buy a black evening ensemble in moss crepe made for the actress by Givenchy in l963 for her role as Regina (Reggie) Lampert in the movie Charade, in which she starred with Cary Grant. Mr Doyle also bought a collection of Hepburn's letters to her parents. His total outlay came to £130,000 (€190,000).
The ensemble and the letters will go on display at the Newbridge Visitor Centre from Monday next and at the RDS Showcase in January.
Founded more than 70 years ago, Newbridge has diversified from cutlery into lifestyle and homewares under Mr Doyle's management and last year had a turnover of €23 million.