Bardot's Velvet: Screen Legend's Coat Heads to Auction

A sleeveless velvet coat worn by Brigitte Bardot at the height of her fame goes under the hammer

By Roxanne "Flashbulb" Starr

There are pieces of clothing, and then there are pieces of history stitched with velvet and star power. A sleeveless velvet coat once worn by Brigitte Bardot — the French actress who became a global symbol of 1950s and '60s glamour and later a dedicated animal rights activist — is set to be auctioned, according to the BBC.

Details on the auction house, sale date, and estimated price were not included in the available reporting, and The American Times could not independently confirm those specifics by press time. What is confirmed: the coat dates to the period the BBC describes as "the height of her fame," the era that produced the pouting, tousle-haired icon of films like And God Created Woman.

Bardot, now in her 90s, largely stepped back from acting decades ago to devote herself to animal welfare causes, founding a foundation that bears her name. Items tied to her screen years rarely surface on the market, which is part of why even a lone velvet coat draws attention from collectors of vintage couture and film memorabilia alike.

We don't yet have a lot number, a house, or a hammer price — and we won't invent one. When those details are confirmed, we'll have them. For now, consider this a heads-up for anyone with deep pockets and a soft spot for old Hollywood, or rather, old Saint-Tropez.

If I can't source it, you won't read it here.

— Compiled from reporting by the BBC.

The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."