Mr Darcy’s wet shirt, as worn by Colin Firth, goes up for auction
A shirt worn by Colin Firth when he went for a dip as Mr Darcy in the BBC’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is expected to fetch up to £10,000 when it goes up for auction next month.
The piece is among more than 60 period-drama costumes to be auctioned in London, including dresses worn by the actors Drew Barrymore and Helena Bonham Carter.
Firth’s shirt from the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel is expected to reach a sale price of between £7,000 and £10,000.
The scene of the actor striding across fields while dripping wet after a swim has become a celebrated TV moment: it has been reimagined in the Netflix series Bridgerton and was also referenced in the film Bridget Jones’s Diary, which starred Firth as another Mr Darcy.
The live “Lights, Camera, Auction” sale will take place on 5 March, hosted by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London in collaboration with Cosprop, a costume house founded in 1965 by the Oscar and Bafta-winning designer John Bright. The proceeds will benefit his charity, the Bright Foundation.
Bright said: “My life’s work has been committed to costume design for film, TV and theatre and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to pursue this path.
“It is my firmly held belief that the arts and creativity can shape happier and healthier children and enable young people to reach their full potential.”
The highest-priced items are a vintage 1950s Christian Dior taffeta ball gown, worn by Madonna in 1996’s Evita film, which could fetch between £40,000 and £60,000, and Johnny Depp’s Sleepy Hollow costume, which is expected to go for between £20,000 and £30,000.
Other items from Evita, such as a pink satin evening coat, lyrics by Sir Tim Rice for Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, a Trifari brooch and earrings, and a blue and purple silk dress, are also being sold.
Barrymore’s Renaissance-style gown with wings from Ever After: A Cinderella Story – a 1998 reimagining of the fairytale without the fantasy elements – is also for sale.
Estimated at between £1,000 and £1,500, the costume is being sold alongside Prince Henry’s outfits, worn by Dougray Scott, which have a guide price of £600 to £1,000.
Additionally, the auction also features costumes worn by Julie Andrews, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hardy, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Radcliffe, Eddie Redmayne, Alan Rickman, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Taylor and Aidan Turner.
A timed online-only auction selling memorabilia will run from 22 February until 10 March.
