Audrey Hepburn's My Fair Lady Ascot dress sold - again

It was nearly 10 years ago that I went to a nondescript building in Beverly Hills and got to see Audrey Hepburn's iconic black and white Ascot races dress from My Fair Lady before it was sold at auction for $100,000. (The hat was included as well.) I even got to take a picture with it! Back then, it was sold to a man who had grand ideas to open up his own memorabilia museum.

Fast forward to this weekend, where the dress was once again up for auction in Beverly Hills. But this time the person selling it was none other than legendary actress Debbie Reynolds! At some point she had bought the dress and had a costume museum of her own, but things changed and she had to sell a good amount of her amazing collection to pay off the debts. Marilyn Monroe's white dress from The Seven Year Itch - you know, that dress - sold for a whopping $4.6 million. The Ascot dress? It did alright, selling for $3.7 million. That's quite a raise in value in just ten years!

No word yet on who the new owner is, or if the costume will be put on display anywhere.

Funny Face hat up for auction

Another big Hollywood memorabilia auction is coming up, and this time the bright yellow/orange/green hat Audrey wore while singing "How Long Has This Been Going On?" in Funny Face is going up on the block.

Julien's Auctions will be putting the hat up during a large two day auction May 7 and 8, but if you are in the L.A. area right now you can drop in their showroom in Beverly Hills and see the hat for yourself! Not touch, of course, for they have it securely behind glass, but you are welcome to look all you want and also see the other fantastic costumes and memorabilia they have available. Indiana Jones, Lucille Ball, tons of Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, even The Brady Bunch, Heroes, and Planet of the Apes!

I stopped in last Thursday to have a look around and photograph the hat to share with those of you who can't make the trip to see it in person, and everyone present was so helpful and kind and very giving there. A first rate staff! If you can make it out before the auction, the exhibit will be open to the public until May 6, and hours are from 10 am to 5 pm. The address is 9665 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills.

The hat is expected to fetch between $2000-3000, and comes with the costume sketch for Marion's gown and hat and a DVD copy of Funny Face.

pictures of the Fernanda Gattinoni exhibit

The recent exhibit on Italian designer Fernanda Gattinoni had its last day in Paris yesterday, but if you couldn't make the exhibit, no worries. Lovely reader Castor was kind enough to visit and take loads of pictures, which she said I could share with all of you. She was also kind enough to translate the text pertaining to Audrey, which I will copy and paste for you. So, without further ado, Castor's pictures for everyone to enjoy:

silk gauze dress trimmed with embroidery and small pink and blue appliqué horses

silk gauze dress in ivory trimmed with silver embroidery and small blue velvet appliqué horses

an autographed publicity still for Fernanda, signed Audrey Ferrer

ivory satin organza dress dotted with tiny rhinestones

In 1955, Maria De Matteis, the costume maker from King Vidor’s War & Peace (1956) asked Fernanda Gattinoni to make Audrey Hepburn’s costumes.

Fernanda Gattinoni liked so much the costumes with a fluid and vertical form she made for the movie that at practically the same time, she was inspired by the protagonist of War & Peace to dedicate the collection Natascia to the empire style.

Audrey Hepburn was the first customer of the collection and ordered no less than five dresses and one coat. From that time, she became one of the most assiduous customers of the house. Nevertheless, even if a trusting relationship existed between the two women, they never really became friends.

“She was too perfect and I don’t like perfect people” claimed Fernanda Gattinoni later. Despite this, the great designer always recognized the incomparable elegancy of the actress: “She had an exceptional physique. Tall and thin, all the dresses she wore became essentials and luminous like a jewel.”

Again, a huge thank you to Castor for sharing all these wonderful pictures with us. If you like what you've seen, please leave a comment with your thanks!

Fernanda Gattinoni exhibit

Yet another costume exhibit! This one is set in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, next to the Eiffel Tower but distinctly Italian in feel. It's a showcase of Italian designer Fernanda Gattinoni's designs from the 1950s and 60s, and while it mainly focuses on her evening gowns for Italian starlets worn at film premieres and other galas, there is a separate section dedicated just to her designs for War and Peace, which Audrey Hepburn wore. While the film may be more than a big long, I do love watching it just to see how stunning Audrey looks, especially in that airy white ballgown with the Empire waist (left).

If you're interested and are in or around Paris, better move fast, because the exhibit only lasts until July 30th. Admission is free, nicely enough, and is open Monday through Friday from 10-1, then reopens for the hours of 3-6. For more information and photos of the exhibit (including the picture I've used), go to Focus On Style's blog here.

Thanks to Kendal for the link.