Saturday, February 02, 2008

Celebrity Vintage Clothing at Recent Auctions

This 1950's dress, owned by Marilyn Monroe, sold recently at Bonham's for $11,000 plus premium. We note, with interest, the dress has some staining, fading, and tearing due to age. You can see all the lots from this recent sale at Bonham's website.

On a different note, this bullet proof vest was owned by Al Capone and sold for over $12,000 by Grey Flannel Auctions.. A dark wool bullet proof vest that was ostensibly worn by Capone in the 1920s. It is a dress suit style vest with four outer pockets and a row of five buttons, with hooks and straps on both sides to fasten the vest in place. Leather encased steel bars on the inside provided the protection Capone needed, considering that the 17-pound weight of this vest could become quite cumbersome under a suit jacket.