Lights, Camera, Action! Kerry Taylor Auctions Teams Up With World Leading Costumiers Cosprop
Ever fantasised about owning a piece of costume history? Well now you can thanks to this upcoming auction in aid of The Bright Foundation which is set to feature costumes worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Colin Firth, Judi Dench and more.
Ever fantasised about owning a piece of costume history? Well now you can thanks to this upcoming auction in aid of The Bright Foundation which is set to feature costumes worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Colin Firth, Judi Dench and more.
What links Madonna to Elizabeth Taylor? Colin Firth's Mr Darcy 'Wet Shirt' costume for the BBC's 1995 series of Pride and Prejudice with a Christian Dior silk taffeta ball gown circa 1953? Apart from sharing associations with universally loved TV, film and music productions, they're all included in an upcoming charity sale with Kerry Taylor Auctions in support of The Bright Foundation, a Hastings-based arts education charity founded by Academy Award-winning costume designer and philanthropist, John Bright.
Planned for 5 March at 18:00 GMT sharp, the live auction, titled Lights Camera Action, brings together fantasy through costume like never before. From Renaissance-inspired creations (including Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth l costume, Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller's Casanova ensembles and Johnny Depp's Circus Ringmaster look from Finding Neverland) to slightly tamer 20th century silhouettes, (Margot Robbie's costume as Daphne de Selincourt in Goodbye Christopher Robin, Judi Dench's ensemble worn in Kenneth Branagh's 2017 adaption of Murder on the Orient Express) you'd be a fool to not have your head turned. Avid Hollywood and TV collector or not.
It all started last year when Taylor (of Kerry Taylor Auctions) received an invite by the delightful owner of Holloway Road's Cosprop, John Bright, to pay the costumiers a visit and select special pieces for such a charity auction - in aid of the designer's own foundation - to take place. For nearly 60 years, Bright has brought characters and moments in time vividly to life on stage and screen, helping to not only realise but propel the creative visions of award-winning costume designers across generations. Bright said in a statement:
'It is my firmly-held belief that the arts and creativity can shape happier and healthier children and enable young people to reach their full potential' (as proven by his eponymous charity's initiative to provide free access to creative activities, visual and performance arts for children and young people facing disadvantages) and that his 'life’s work has been committed to costume design for film, tv and theatre. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to pursue this path.'
To coincide with the live event, there is also an online-only auction available until 10th March, which will feature an additional 40 eclectic bids ranging in one-of-a-kind experiences (the rumour is true, you can bid on lunch with Hugh Bonneville), celebrity memorabilia, original artworks and personal items donated by celebrity ambassadors of the Bright Foundation.