The backless emerald-green silk dress worn by Keira Knightley in the 2007 film “Atonement” is heading to auction at Christie’s in London on December 9, with an expected sale price of up to £120,000 ($161,000), cnn.com reported.
Knightley’s character, Cecilia, wore the gown in a climactic scene in the adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel, where she confesses her feelings and makes love with the housekeeper’s son Robbie, played by James McAvoy, in the estate’s grand library.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran crafted the silk garment after receiving specific instructions from director Joe Wright, who wanted a showstopping look with a full-skirted hem that moved and conveyed the stifling heat of the year’s hottest day, according to cnn.com. Durran drew inspiration from 1920s and 1930s reference books to construct the light, unstructured piece for Knightley.
“It’s glamorous, it’s nostalgic, and that green is so significant,” Caroline Young, author of the 2022 book “The Color of Fashion: The Story of Clothes in Ten Colors,” told cnn.com. Young noted that the slinky cut and thin straps carry a Jean Harlow-esque quality suited to the 1930s setting, while the color itself bears a deep history of representing tempestuous love and illicit affairs.
Following the completion of the film, production archives released the dress for a 2008 charity auction, after which it resided in an American private collection, a Christie’s spokesperson told cnn.com. Thais Hitchins, head of sale at Christie’s London, stated in remarks shared with cnn.com that the gown stands as an emblem of desire, lust, and heartbreaking romance.
The garment goes under the hammer as part of the “Love & Lust: A Literary Guide” sale. The auction also features original poster artworks for the 1927 sci-fi film “Metropolis” and the 1931 horror film “Dracula,” three autograph letters from British naval hero Horatio Nelson to Emma, Lady Hamilton, and the original costume worn by prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn in a 1960 production of “The Sleeping Beauty,” cnn.com reported.
Christie’s representatives noted that it remains difficult to predict who will ultimately bid on the garment. The auction house expects the piece to attract individual collectors focused on film and costume history, alongside museums and institutions recognizing its cultural footprint, cnn.com reported.
Film fashion routinely commands high prices at international houses. Hubert de Givenchy’s black satin dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” sold at Christie’s in 2006 for £467,200, while a dress worn by Vivien Leigh in “Gone With the Wind” fetched $137,000 in 2015, according to cnn.com.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran created the backless emerald gown using very fine, unstructured fabric inspired by 1920s and 1930s reference materials, cnn.com reported.
Christie’s estimates that the gown will sell for up to £120,000, which equals approximately $161,000, when it goes to auction on December 9, cnn.com reported.
After the movie wrapped in 2007, the production archive released the dress for a charity auction in 2008, and it remained inside an American private collection until the upcoming sale, cnn.com reported.
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