Colin Firth's Sexy Shirt Sells for Twice the Estimate

Actor's outfit from 1995's 'Pride and Prejudice' nabs $25K at auction
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 5, 2024 1:04 PM CST
Updated Mar 6, 2024 8:58 AM CST
UPDATE Mar 6, 2024 8:58 AM CST

The cultural impact of Colin Firth's dip in a lake cannot be in doubt now that the outfit the actor swore in that pivotal scene from 1995's Pride and Prejudice has sold at auction for $25,000—or twice the estimate. The 1810s-style outfit from costume designer Dinah Collin and costumier Cosprop had been expected to sell for $12,700 Tuesday at an auction in support of an arts education charity, the Bright Foundation. Other outfits from movies failed to smash expectations in the same way. A red ball gown worn by Madonna in Evita, expected to fetch up to $76,000, sold for just over $50,000, while Johnny Depp's outfit from Sleepy Hollow sold for just over $30,000, about $8,000 below the top estimate, per CNN.

Mar 5, 2024 1:04 PM CST

Colin Firth made quite an impression when he plunged, partially clothed, into a lake in 1995's Pride and Prejudice, which aired on the BBC, and now the drenched shirt he wore in that scene as Mr. Darcy is up for grabs—"water not included," per the AP.

  • The shirt: The white button-down garment will head to the auction block on Tuesday in London via Kerry Taylor Auctions, along with the boots, velvet waistcoat, and moleskin breeches he wore in the scene before he stripped down.
  • $$$: The entire outfit is expected to sell for between $9,000 and nearly $13,000.
  • Fun fact: The wet shirt didn't appear in Jane Austen's book by the same name, per the BBC, but Firth's scene—in which he bumps into his love interest, Elizabeth Bennet (played by Jennifer Ehle), while soaking wet—was once voted one of the UK's most memorable TV moments ever.
  • Fire for Firth: The broadcaster also notes that the eye-catching scene turned the British actor into a sex symbol.
  • Also for sale: Firth's shirt is one of five dozen or so movie and TV outfits set to be auctioned Tuesday, and he's not the only star whose on-set attire is in demand: A ball gown worn by Madonna in the 1996 film Evita is expected to sell for up to $76,000, while the outfit sported by Johnny Depp in 1999's Sleepy Hollow may bring in up to $38,000. Costumes worn by Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley, and Cate Blanchett will also be for sale, per CNN.

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