Wizard of Oz dress fetches $588,000 at auction

LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Judy Garland's blue and white gingham dress from The Wizard Of Oz sold for US$480,000 (S$587,900) at a Beverly Hills auction on Saturday, while a slice of Prince William's wedding cake fetched US$1,375.

Julien's Auctions said the price for the pinafore dress and white puffy-sleeved blouse that Garland wore throughout the 1939 film classic was in line with estimates.

But it was well below the sky-high figures paid last year for Hollywood costumes worn by Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, and a similar dress worn during tests for The Wizard Of Oz that fetched US$910,000 in 2011.

Auctioneer Darren Julien said the price difference was due to the fact that only a few test dresses were made for The Wizard Of Oz, while there are about seven versions of Garland's signature gingham pinafore.