Items from Carolyn Bessette Kennedy‘s wardrobe, along with other looks, auctioned by The Fashion Auctioneer, drummed up $408,750 in sales, approximately 5.3 times its low estimate and 4 times its high estimate. The Bessette Kennedy looks accounted for $253,875 of the total.
The auction, “Exceptional Fashion: Including Items from the Wardrobe of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy,” took place from Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. EST to March 3 at 10 a.m. EST.
The 24 lots presented comprised four rare and special items from Bessette Kennedy’s wardrobe which she personally gifted to Rosemarie Terenzio, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s assistant and confidant to the couple. The remaining 20 lots were original vintage pieces owned by a collector and identical to those she wore and loaned to “Love Story,” the nine-episode Ryan Murphy-produced series which is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
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Bessette Kennedy died with her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr., and sister, Lauren Bessette, in a 1999 plane crash.
The auction achieved a world record for Bessette Kennedy’ iconic Prada camel coat, which sold for $192,000 (estimated to sell for $15,000 to $30,000), significantly surpassing the previously held record of $78,000 for another coat.
Of the items from Terenzio, Bessette Kennedy’s Prada eggshell white wool coat from the 1990s, with an estimate of $4,000 to $8,000, sold for $9,375. Bessette Kennedy’s Yohji Yamamoto little black dress from the 1990s, estimated to sell from $10,000 to $20,000, sold for $20,000, and Bessette Kennedy’s Prada camel car coat from the 1990s, estimated to sell from $8,000 to $15,000, sold for $32,500.
Lucy Bishop, the auctioneer, said this was her first sale as an independent auctioneer. She was previously in touch with Terenzio and sold a Bessette Kennedy item when she was a specialist at Sotheby’s. She told WWD that the auction “did better than I expected. It did great.” She said every single item was sold.
“Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is one of the most important fashion icons of the 20th century, and the results of this sale reflect that. Her authentic, effortless style continues to be admired internationally and has become synonymous with New York. The outpouring of enthusiasm and admiration we have witnessed throughout the duration of this sale is a testament to her fashion legacy and the desire people have to remember her,” said Bishop.
She said that the viral success of the “Love Story” TV series, “can now be attributed to the fact that people are turning in to look at the costumes.
“It’s the most accurate costume portrayal, and they came from a collector,” said Bishop, noting that early images of the show’s costumes were criticized until they revamped the wardrobe.
Other items auctioned from the collector, which didn’t belong to Bessette Kennedy, included a Prada camel wool skirt and boots, estimated to sell between $2,000 to $3,000, which sold for $30,000 in total, and a Yohji Yamamoto ensemble, from spring 1998, estimated to sell for $2,000 to $3,000, which went for $12,500. Prada’s Spazzolato bag, estimated to sell between $800 and $1,200, sold for $9,375.