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Fans eagerly await the awards shows each year both for their favorite stars to win, but also to see what they’ll be wearing. The lifestyle of the rich and famous includes the advantage of selecting the best attire from the best designers all over the world and the price tag continues to rise.
Other classic numbers auction at record-breaking prices simply for their iconic value and sentimental worth.
Check out the most expensive dresses of all time, whether by recent selection or those iconic numbers sold at auction, years after they’ve been made famous.
Anne Hathaway: $80,000
The famous actress wore a crimson gown, designed by Valentino during her hosting gig for the 2011 Academy Awards. The sleeveless red gown was striking on the red carpet and according to Fame 10, when adding in the Tiffany & Co. diamond necklace, Hathaway’s look was nearly $10 Million.
Lupita Nyong’o: $150,000
The Black Panther star wore a long, white Calvin Klein gown to the 2015 Oscars that features 6,000 pearls. The beautiful gown was reportedly stolen from her hotel room after the event. Though Calvin Klein chose not to press charges, the dress was found hidden behind a garbage bag under a counter at the hotel.
Audrey Hepburn: $131,300 and $923,000
The iconic star makes the list more than once due to her unique taste in clothing and partnership with Givenchy. She once wore a tea-length Givenchy dress to the 1954 Oscars which later auctioned for $131,300.
Hepburn also changed style forever in the 1960’s with the original little black dress in Breakfast At Tiffany’s (also designed by Givenchy). It sold at auction in 2006 for nearly $1 million.
Princess Diana: $137,500 and $340,000
During a 1997 Cannes Film Festival the late princess wore a Catherine Walker silk, powder blue chiffon. According to Town and Country, this event was the third time Diana wore the gown; once for a portrait by photographer Terence Donovan, again to an opera premiere in 1989 and finally, the film festival.
Another iconic number the princess wore was known as the “Travolta Dress”. She danced with actor John Travolta in a Victor Edelstein velvet gown in 1985 and the in 2011 the gown was auction for a whopping $340,000.
Elizabeth Taylor: $167,500
The actress was known for her eccentric style and wore a periwinkle and violent chiffon gown to the 1970’s Oscars, which later sold for $167,500. The dress was designed by Edith Head.
Cate Blanchett: $200,000
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button actress has made the list of most expensive gowns several times. At the 2007 Oscars, Blanchett wore a silver Armani, one- shouldered gown covered in Swarovski crystals and worth approximately $200,000.
According to Finances Online, Blanchett’s 2014 Armani Prive gown was a $100,000 skin-toned number, covered in Swarovski crystals. Including the jewelry, the actress wore, the entire look was an estimated $18.1 Million.
Paris Hilton: $270,000
No stranger to luxury attire, the socialite once wore an August Getty gown studded with more than 500,000 Swarovski crystals.
Marilyn Monroe: $1.3 Million and $5.6 Million
The blonde beauty also makes the list more than once with the gown specifically designed for Monroe’s performance at President John F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday celebration. In 1961, the gown designed by Jean-Louis Berthaulto, covered in pink sequins was just an addition to Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” performance.
Monroe’s attire drew attention again when the iconic, pleated, white dress she wore during filming of The Seven Year Itch in 1955 was auctioned in 2011 for $5.6 Million. Actress Debbie Reynolds owned the William Travilla number for years until she auctioned more than 600 collectible pieces in 2011.
Julie Andrews: $1.56 Million
Remember the iconic opening scene in Sound of Music with Julie Andrews overlooking the Austrian mountains in a simple, long-sleeved pinafore? The movie and the actress stole many hearts over the years and the famous dress was sold for $1.56 million in auction.
Nicole Kidman: $2 Million
At the 1997 Oscars, the star wore a Christian Dior Haute Couture embroidered gown. The unique double-toned gold and green shade and embellishment at the neck design turned heads and accentuated the actress’s flawless skin.
Jennifer Lawrence: $4 Million
In 2013 she won Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook and caused viewers to gasp as she tripped up the stairs in a stunning Dior Couture ball gown. The light pink gown, complete with train was the talk of the evening. The gown was on loan to Lawrence as she was the face of the Dior brand at the time.
Sources: Finances Online, Town and Country, Fame 10