Gone With The Wind star Vivien Leigh’s clothes and jewellery go up for auction

Own a piece of fashion history

vivien leigh
(Image credit: ©Sotheby’s Cecil Beaton Studio Archive)
Penny Goldstone
By Penny Goldstone
published

Own a piece of fashion history

If you grew up watching Gone With The Wind and admiring Scarlett O’Hara’s sense of style and sassy comebacks, then we have some great news for you: some of Vivien Leigh’s most prised possessions are going up for auction.

Sotheby’s London is opening The Vivien Leigh Collection auction on 26 September to mark fifty years since the Hollywood star’s death.

It will include never-before seen items from her private life, from clothes and jewellers to books and paintings.

A gold ring inscribed 'Laurence Olivier Vivien Eternally' Estimate £400-600

Myriad pieces drawn from the city and country homes Vivien shared with her husband Laurence Oliver will give a new perspective on the actress, from her appreciation of art and patronage of Modern British artists, to her passion for books and fondness for entertaining and interior design.

Victor Stiebel pink full length evening dress, circa 1961 Estimate £200-300

Key pieces include a gold ring engraved with both her and Laurence Olivier’s names, a diamond brooch and the original script for the 1939 film Gone With The Wind.

Diamond bow brooch/ pendant, mid-19th century Estimate £25,000-35,000

Harry Dalmeny, Sotheby’s UK Chairman, commented: 'This is our chance to discover the real, and unexpected, Vivien Leigh. We’re all guilty of confusing our favourite actresses with the heroines they portray, of blurring Vivien’s identity with that of Scarlett O’Hara or Blanche DuBois. But, behind the guise of the most glamorous and talked-about woman of her age we find a fine art collector, patron, even a book worm, who was the intellectual equal of the literati, artists and aesthetes she counted among her coterie.

Gone with the Wind, screen play, Frankly, my dear

Gone with the Wind, screen play, Frankly, my dear

'Her private collection does not disappoint. Vivien approached the decoration of her homes as if she were designing a set, incorporating influences and inspiration from a life spent on screen and on stage. These houses were an extension of the theatrical space, with medieval Notley Abbey looking positively Shakespearean. 50 years on from her death, this sale opens the door into Vivien’s private world, allowing us a privileged and fascinating glimpse into a world that otherwise only her closest friends could ever have known.'

Penny Goldstone
Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.

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