Colin Firth’s iconic Mr. Darcy shirt among costumes for sale to benefit arts education charity
Colin Firth‘s time as Mr. Darcy in BBC’s 1995 adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” featured a priceless moment for some fans. Now, a piece from his beloved lake scene is on sale for upwards of $8,900.
Firth’s Mr. Darcy “wet shirt” — a long and flowy linen garment — is among scores of items up for grabs in a costume and props sale hosted by British auction house Kerry Taylor Auctions. Kerry Taylor unveiled its lineup of ornate gowns and Renaissance-inspired attire from a variety of TV and film titles, including “Peaky Blinders,” “Evita” and “Ever After” on Tuesday.
Sale of the costumes, which were kept at Oscar-winning costume designer John Bright‘s Cosprop store, will benefit Bright’s arts education charity. The Bright Foundation seeks to support creative learning and inspire “a new generation of imaginative children and young people to reach their full potential.”
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“For nearly 60 years, John Bright has brought characters and moments in time vividly to life on stage and screen helping to realise the creative visions of generations of award-winning costume designers,” Kerry Taylor Auctions said on its website. “He is equally revered and respected by actors grateful for the fine costumes provided to assist them create their characters.”
Kerry Taylor’s “Lights Camera Auction” sale lists Firth’s romantic garment for £7,000 to £10,000 (approximately $8,902 to $12,717). In a description for the “wet shirt,” its designer Dinah Collin said Firth’s memorable scene “was never scripted” and was mentioned in various discussions with Cosprop’s Christopher Prins, who was the studio’s head of menswear.
“Because on screen male nudity was not permitted ... the idea of the ‘wet shirt’ was born,” Collin recalled. “Our way round this was for Colin Firth to be filmed ¾ length wearing just the Irish linen shirt (copied from an antique original) which clung to the body. The scene caused something of a sensation at the time and transformed Colin Firth from a respected classical actor to something of a sex symbol overnight!”
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick created looks that easily telegraph shifting time periods, characters’ social status and even their mental state for the Oscar-nominated film.
In BBC’s “Pride and Prejudice,” Firth’s Mr. Darcy shared the screen with Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth Bennet.
BBC’s “Pride and Prejudice” isn’t the only Austen adaptation getting the “Lights Camera Auction” spotlight. The intricate and bright costumes of Autumn de Wilde‘s “Emma” also are up for sale.
The least expensive listing — starting at £100 —is a brown crocodile purse from the 1940s used in the production of “Evita,” starring Madonna as former first lady of Argentina Eva Perón. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a costume from the same production: Madonna’s bright red Dior ball gown. The bidding price for that dress starts at £40,000.
Other listings have been worn by stars including Maggie Smith, Margot Robbie, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow and Heath Ledger.
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