Elizabeth Taylor
Fashion specialist Kerry Taylor was astonished to receive an email containing images of Elizabeth Taylor’s Oscar dress from 1961. It had previously been thought that this dress was already ensconced in the Christian Dior Patrimoine/Archive, but actually the real one - this one - had remained carefully packed away in a large plastic suitcase (alongside eleven more of the star’s garments) in central London since 1971. The clothes remained largely undisturbed, unworn since that time, and are consequently in remarkably good condition.
On April 18th 1961, Elizabeth Taylor famously arrived at the 33rd Academy Awards wearing this exquisitely demure gown designed by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, accessorised with long evening gloves, diamond and pearl droplet earrings. She was accompanied by latest husband Eddie Fisher.
Image: Elizabeth Taylor's Christian Dior couture Soirée à Rio 'Oscar' dress, Spring-Summer 1961, by Marc Bohan, 'Slim Line' collection. Image above: detail of Elizabeth Taylor's white matelassé cotton cocktail ensemble, circa 1965.
Having been nominated and rejected on four previous occasions for Best Actress and having been the subject of negative press headlines due to her controversial liaison and marriage to Eddie Fisher in 1959, she did not expect to win. The papers had been filled with stories of how Taylor had allegedly ‘stolen’ Fisher from fellow actor and best friend Debbie Reynolds!
However, that evening, Elizabeth Taylor won the Best Actress Academy Award for the very first time - for her role in 'Butterfield 8' where she plays the part of a Manhattan call girl who has a tragic affair with a rich married man (Laurence Harvey). In one of her lines the character describes herself as ‘The slut of all time’ - the immoral woman eventually came to a moralistically satisfying bad end. Audiences lapped it up.
For this, her first Oscar, her breathy, tearful acceptance speech has gone down in the annals of Academy Awards history as one of the most memorable and heartfelt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Image: Telegrams sent to the Sanz family from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Although Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton owned a house in London, they preferred to stay in a rooftop suite at the Dorchester Hotel. Anne recalls that the couple frequently visited the UK either to film at Pinewood or Elstree or to visit Burton’s extensive Welsh family. On one occasion, because Elizabeth wanted her dogs to accompany them and quarantine regulations forbade them from setting foot on UK soil, they sailed their private yacht the ‘Kalizma’ from Europe and moored it at Tower Bridge as a sort of floating kennel!
Gaston and Anne accompanied them wherever the couple and their children travelled - and they were constantly on the move. They might stay in Belair, Beverley Hills for just a few months, then travel to their villa in Mexico, or sail away on their beautiful yacht ‘Kalizma’, which could be moored in Monaco or Spain, or wherever they happened to fancy. Travel for the couple and their staff was unrelenting, with punishing international film timetables/locations, for one or other of the actors. Anne recalls the Burtons liked to relax in Switzerland and owned several chalets in Gstaad. One of them was filled with rail upon rail of Taylor’s clothes, another being devoted entirely to storing her furs.
Image: Anne pictured with Elizabeth Taylor aboard their private yacht, the Kalizma.
Anne Sanz remembers the day Taylor beckoned her into the suite at the Dorchester Hotel, in 1971. The star, by now seemingly tired of continuously moving her extensive wardrobe on their global travels (it consisted of around 40 massive suitcases by this point) asked Anne to take her pick of her wardrobe – anything she liked.
Anne explained that Taylor had regarded the 1961 Oscar dress as something of a lucky charm and although it was worn for just the Academy Award ceremony, that she liked it to accompany her on her travels. However, finally a decade on - the star finally decided to lighten her load and part with it. Anne filled two massive suitcases with assorted gowns and was also gifted a vintage crocodile dressing case with Victorian silver fittings. The collection features Christian Dior haute couture by Bohan and Tiziani haute couture by Lagerfeld, as well as a ‘black widow’ robe Taylor wore in the 1967 film ‘Boom’ also designed by Karl Lagerfeld.
Image: Elizabeth Taylor's white matelassé cotton cocktail ensemble, circa 1965. Right image: lot 408, Elizabeth Taylor's Tiziani by Karl Lagerfeld couture cocktail dress, circa 1967.
The Burtons married in 1964, divorced in 1973 and then remarried in Botswana in 1975, but the rapprochement was short-lived and they divorced for the last time in August 1976. With this final separation Gaston was approached by Taylor and Burton both independently requesting he work for them. For Gaston it was an impossible choice as he was fond of them both. The Sanz family decided it would be best to leave and return to London as their little girl was ready to start school.
Anne Sanz wore just a few of Taylor’s more simple shift dresses. As a busy young mother (the Burtons were joint godparents to their little girl Elizabeth born in 1970) she had few occasions to wear them. Over the years Anne gifted pieces to family and friends but luckily held on to the Oscar dress!
On April 18th 1961, Elizabeth Taylor famously arrived at the 33rd Academy Awards wearing this exquisitely demure gown designed by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, accessorised with long evening gloves, diamond and pearl droplet earrings. She was accompanied by latest husband Eddie Fisher.
Image: Elizabeth Taylor's film-worn robe from 'Boom!' designed by Karl Lagerfeld, 1967.
Having been nominated and rejected on four previous occasions for Best Actress and having been the subject of negative press headlines due to her controversial liaison and marriage to Eddie Fisher in 1959, she did not expect to win. The papers had been filled with stories of how Taylor had allegedly ‘stolen’ him from fellow actor and best friend Debbie Reynolds!
However, that evening, Elizabeth Taylor won the Best Actress Academy Award for the very first time - for her role in 'Butterfield 8' where she plays the part of a Manhattan call girl who has a tragic affair with a rich married man (Laurence Harvey). In one of her lines the character describes herself as ‘The slut of all time’ - the immoral female eventually coming to a moralistically satisfying bad end. Audiences lapped it up.
For this, her first Oscar, her breathy, tearful acceptance speech has gone down in the annals of Academy Awards history as one of the most memorable and heartfelt.
Kerry Taylor Auctions upcoming sale Passion for Fashion will be 12 December 2023. Find out more about the auction:
www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/auction/details/-passion-for-fashion