The DDRE Luxury Edit
Fashion Items That Cost More Than a House
What does it take for a handbag, dress or jewel to command the price of a London property?
For this year’s London Fashion Week, The Luxury Edit looks at the extraordinary fashion objects whose value extends far beyond their materials. These are pieces with provenance, cultural significance and scarcity in equal measure: objects that have become collectible works of art in their own right.
From the original Hermès Birkin carried by Jane Birkin to extraordinary haute couture, rare jewels and pieces of fashion history, we explore the stories behind the price tags, and why, in the world of collecting, the right fashion item can be worth considerably more than a house.
SOLD FOR $10.1M AT SOTHEBY’S, PARIS
The Original Hermès Birkin
Created for Jane Birkin in 1985, this original prototype became the blueprint for one of the most recognisable handbags in fashion. Worn, personalised and bearing her initials, it sold to a private Japanese collector after a ten-minute bidding war, becoming the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction.
SOLD FOR $32.5M AT HERITAGE AUCTIONS
Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
Worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, these iconic ruby slippers were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and recovered by the FBI 13 years later. After returning to their owner, they sold for $32.5 million in 2024, becoming the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold at auction.
SOLD FOR $1.1M AT JULIEN’S AUCTIONS
Princess Diana’s Gown
Designed by Jacques Azagury, this was the first dress Princess Diana purchased from the designer, just three weeks after they met at his Knightsbridge boutique in 1985. Estimated at $100,000, it sold for $1.1 million at auction, more than eleven times its estimate.
SOLD FOR $950,625 AT PHILLIPS
Karl Lagerfeld’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
A black PVD-coated Royal Oak believed to have belonged to Karl Lagerfeld, who was photographed wearing similar blackened models throughout the 1970s. Purchased in Italy in 1973 and later authenticated through extensive provenance research, the distinctive Ref. 5402ST sold for CHF 937,500 at Phillips in 2022.
SOLD FOR $4.8M AT JULIEN’S AUCTIONS
Marilyn Monroe’s Jean Louis Dress
Hand-sewn with more than 2,500 crystals, this Jean Louis gown was worn by Marilyn Monroe as she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy in 1962. It sold for $4.81 million in 2016, setting an auction record for a dress, before making headlines again when Kim Kardashian wore it to the 2022 Met Gala.
