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Summary The 'Wizard of Oz' dress will go on public exhibition at Julien's in Beverly Hills from November 5-8
Wizard of Oz dress set for auctionudy Garlands blue-and-white pinafore from the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz is going up for auction, where it is expected to sell for more than a half a million dollars, auctioneers said on Monday.The outfit, consisting of the gingham dress and white puffy-sleeved blouse, which Garland wore throughout the 1939 film, will be sold next month at Juliens Auctions in Beverly Hills, the auction house said in a statement.Juliens estimated the outfit would sell for between $400,000 and $600,000, but similarly iconic Hollywood costumes have fetched many times the pre-sale expectations in recent years.President Darren Julien told Reuters the dress, by MGMs famous costume designer, Adrian, had not been offered for sale, nor even publicly seen, since MGM costume designer Kent Warner sold it at Christies in 1981.Its one of those key pieces that Im sure collectors all over the world are going to be after, said pop culture expert Laura Woolley of the Collectors Lab, an appraisal service for collectors, museums and other institutions, in a YouTube clip posted by Juliens.This is one piece that everybody recognizes instantly, she said of the dress prominently featured in the Technicolor musical, which is still hugely popular with both children and adults nearly 75 years after it was made.Another of Garlands dresses used in test shots for the film soared to nearly $1 million at auction last year, its $910,000 price more than 10 times the $60,000 to $80,000 estimate.At the same sale of costumes from film star Debbie Reynolds collection, which took in nearly $23 million, Marilyn Monroes iconic subway dress from 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch sold for $4.6 million, or $5.5 million including commission and tax.The Wizard of Oz dress will go on public exhibition at Juliens in Beverly Hills from November 5-8 ahead of the two-day auction.Other Hollywood memorabilia on offer at the November 9-10 sale include the white strapless Edith Head gown worn by Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun, which is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000, and a Cecil Beaton triptych of Marilyn Monroe, which hung in Monroes New York apartment, estimated at $35,000 to $40,000.
