Women's Clothing

Vintage women's clothing is in high demand in auction circles. Culled from boutique closeouts, displays, estates, and the overstuffed closets of fashion-obsessed celebs and socialites, clothing auctions brim with offerings that often see competitive bidding.

From pieces rooted in formal European glamour to nostalgic '90s classics spawned by hip-hop and grunge, the vast range of periods and styles available offers something for every taste and sensibility.

At auction, connoisseurs find a steady stream of barely-worn vintage clothing, museum-quality antique apparel, and old, never-sold pieces. These often include gently-used Balenciaga bags, box-new Manolo Blahniks, and once-worn couture gowns by the likes of Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, and Halston.

Quick Facts

• Prime clothing pieces sell in the four or even five-figure range, sometimes more. In 2011, Marilyn Monroe's "The Seven Year Itch" white subway dress sold for more than $5.6 million in a Beverly Hills auction
• In July 2015, a red polka dot dress worn in the 1934 film "Stand Up and Cheer" by child star Shirley Temple sold for $75,000 at a Kansas city auction organized by Theriault's
• In a June 2015 Kennedy family lot, Nate D. Sanders Auctions sold a cream-patterned maternity dress worn by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1960 while she was pregnant with her son John F. Kennedy Jr. for $10,000