The late UK soul singer Amy Winehouse is already establishing herself as a legend among collectors through the sale of her memorabilia.
For evidence, look no further than Kerry Taylor's auction (last night, November 29) which saw the iconic dress worn by Winehouse on the cover of her classic "Back to Black" LP sell for £43,200 ($67,208).
Even more impressive is that the dress quadrupled its pre-sale estimate. Collectors placed their bids in Kerry Taylor Auctions' Passion for Fashion Auction in London. According to the auctioneer, the dress was bought by Fundacion Museo De La Moda in Chile.
This followed competition between several phone bidders and a bidder in the room.
Amy Winehouse's printed chiffon 'Back to Black' dress, sold for £43,200 |
Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" dress was designed in 2006 by a young Thai-based designer called Disaya, trained at Central St Martins. Amy wore the dress for the iconic photoshoot, after which it was returned and stored away in her archive.
Disaya flew to the UK to attend the auction and, according to Kerry Taylor's report, "was thrilled with the result."
Proceeds from today's sale will benefit the Amy Winehouse Foundation which has been set up by Amy's father Mitch to help vulnerable young people.
"I can't put into words how grateful I am to Kerry and Disaya for their support and hard work," said Mitch following the sale.
"We are just over the moon and this is a wonderful start to the foundation. We are off to visit a homeless charity in Euston (London) tomorrow and so the money will go to a good cause straight away."
Paul recently wrote about how the celebrity dress markets are doing well in late 2011, as memorabilia collectors flock to acquire these iconic items. Items we've invested in - and presently have for sale - include this dress worn by the late model and Playmate Dorothy Stratten.
This dress worn by the late model and Playmate Dorothy Stratten is for sale priced at just £995
That our dress is for sale priced at just £995 shows that 2011's celebrity dress markets are not only strong and vibrant, but also hold opportunities for collectors with both large and small budgets - and this will surely continue in 2012.
Other star lots in Kerry Taylor's sale included the famous 'Sari dress' designed by Cristobal Balenciaga for Elizabeth Taylor. It dates from when she and Richard Burton were still relative newly-weds in 1964 sold for £31,200.
Watch this space for news on further highlights from Kerry Taylor's November 29 sale.
