A countdown of some of the most expensive celebrity auction items ever to go under the hammer

Date July 9, 2012

Celebrity jewels and clothing have become quite the draw at auctions, with dresses and jewels that once belonged to the rich and famous easily fetching millions. Just last week, two hats worn by Kate Middleton hit the auction block, raising more than $11,000 for charity. Daphne Guinness also auctioned off some of her prized fashion pieces in the name of charity, as did Elizabeth Taylor, whose collection of clothing and jewels garnered a record breaking $157 million. The Taylor auction also attracted several celebrity bids—Kim Kardashian purchased three of Liz’s Lorraine Schwartz diamond and jade bangles for $64,000, and Coco Rocha surprised herself when she walked away with Taylor’s yellow and pink Givenchy jumpsuit that she wore to the Met gala this year. We’ve rounded up 10 celebrity fashion picks that fetched a pretty penny at auction, and we think the piece that went for the biggest bank might surprise you.

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10. Princess Soraya’s Roger Vivier shoe, $26,629

Roger Vivier created this pump (well actually, he created two pumps) for Princess Soraya, who was the wife of the late Shah of Iran. With an auction price tag of $26,629 (that Roger Vivier shelled out to keep its collection in tact) it’s easy to see how this piece of fancy footwear earned the title of “the most expensive shoe in the world.”

9. Kate Middleton’s student fashion show dress, $125,000

The transparent number that Kate was wearing when Prince William allegedly first laid eyes on her sold for a whopping $125,000 at the charity auction event “Passion for Fashion” last year.

8. Princess Diana’s midnight blue Victor Edelstein dress, $800,000

Diana famously wore this silk-velvet Victor Edelstein dress during her dance with John Travolta at a White House event hosted by Ronald Regan in 1985. The gown fetched $800,000 at an auction held in Toronto last year.

7. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” jacket, $1.8 million

“Thriller” was a visual testament to several things: the power of the music video, Michael Jackson’s unparalleled ability to entertain and the fashion treasures (and horrors) that emerged from the ‘80s. The iconic black and red leather jacket Jackson wore throughout the video brought in $1.8 million.

6. Judy Garland’s ruby Wizard of Oz slippers, $2 million

There are four pairs of these shoes that are known to exist, but the pair of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers that sold for $2 million was the pair she wore when she clicked her heels during the “no place like home” scene.

5. Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s 40-carat “The Lesotho III” diamond ring, $2.59 million

This 20-carat diamond ring was an engagement gift Aristotle Onassis made to his wife-to-be, the widowed Jackie Kennedy. The ring, which was put up for auction by Jackie O’s children, fetched an impressive $2.59 million at auction. The engagement ring Jackie O received from JFK did not go under the hammer.

4. Audrey Hepburn’s ascot dress from My Fair Lady, $4.4 million

Audrey Hepburn‘s fashion icon status still reigns supreme today, and this ascot dress designed by Cecil Beaton for her role as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady fetched an impressive $4.4 million at auction.

3. Marilyn Monroe’s “subway dress,” $5.52 million

It should come as no surprise that the iconic dress from 1955’s The Seven Year Itch was the most expensive piece of clothing to ever be auctioned. The dress fetched a bid of $4.6 million, but after fees and taxes, the final price was $5.52 million.

2. Elizabeth Taylor’s “La Peregrina” ruby, diamond and pearl necklace, $11.8 million

When the late Elizabeth Taylor’s collection of jewels and clothes went on sale, Christie’s Auction House anticipated there would be a huge draw—but no one would have guessed that the auction would pull in $156,756,576, to be exact. The most expensive item was Taylor’s “La Peregrina” ruby, diamond and pearl necklace, which belonged to Spanish royalty between 1582 and 1808 and brought in $11.8 million.

1. Wallis Simpson’s onyx and diamond panther bracelet, $12.4 million

It’s rumoured that the queen of pop herself, Madonna, was the bidder who shelled out $12.4 million for Wallis Simpson’s onyx and diamond panther bracelet. Madonna later went on to direct W.E., so we think it’s a very real possibility.