Bought for just $20, the dress worn by Vivien Leigh in “Gone With the Wind”, fetched $137,000 at an auction. The two-piece ensemble sold in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday was on the verge of being tossed out by Universal Studios in the 1960s, but time added value and it became the most sought-after item from the huge collection gathered by James Tumblin who once worked at Universal Studios.
The dress includes a jacket and full skirt. It was worn in key scenes such as the time when Scarlett O’Hara encountered Butler and when she got attacked in the shanty town. Initially it was a blue-gray color but has faded to light gray.
Other items auctioned off include a straw hat worn by Leigh in a number of scenes and a gray wool suit that Clark Gable wore as Rhett Butler when he kicked down the door to Scarlett’s boudoir.