The wedding gown Elizabeth Taylor wore for her first marriage could fetch more than $75,000 when it goes up for auction next month as part of a pop culture sale.
Christie’s in London will auction the silk satin, oyster shell-colored gown on June 26. Taylor wore the dress for her 1950 wedding to hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton. She was only 18 at the time, but already a star and veteran actress. In fact, the gown was a gift to Taylor from MGM studios. The dress was made by the studio's chief costume designer, Helen Rose, who also created Grace Kelly's wedding dress for her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Among the guests who attended Taylor’s wedding to Hilton were such legendary Hollywood A-listers as Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and Esther Williams. Other guests included Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett, Taylor’s co-stars from “Father of the Bride,” which the studio marketed immediately after her real-life wedding.
Christie’s estimate for the gown, which will be part of its Pop Culture sale, is 30,000 to 50,000 English pounds, roughly $45,300 to $75,600.
The high-collar, long-sleeved gown appears to have provided inspiration for other wedding gowns, most recently for Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
