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Hopeless romantics and Jane Austen fans now have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a garment from the BBC’s 1995 “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries.
Not just any garment, but the garment – Colin Firth’s infamous wet shirt from the miniseries’ lake scene.
Kerry Taylor Auctions, a British auction house, is auctioning off the piece of clothing on Tuesday. The proceeds will go to a charity that helps children and young people have access to “creative activities, visual and performance arts,” according to the business.
Other pieces of Mr. Darcy’s outfit are included in the lot, including his waistcoat and breeches.
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Jane Austen fans have the chance to own Colin Firth’s famous wet shirt from the 1995 “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the auction house’s website, the Regency-inspired piece features “pleated gathers to sleeve tops, deep collar, buttoned neck opening together with a muslin cravat.”
The other pieces that are included are Darcy’s fall front breeches, a velvet waistcoat and a gray wool tailcoat.
To top it off, the winning bidder will take home a signed photograph of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.
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The infamous wet shirt as worn by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice on display at the “Lights Camera Auction” photocall at Kerry Taylor Auctions on February 27, 2024 in London, England. (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
In the infamous lake scene, Mr. Darcy has an awkward encounter with Elizabeth Bennet after swimming in a lake.
“In the scene Mr Darcy is spied emerging from a lake having taken a cooling swim on a hot summer’s day,” designer Dinah Collin explained in a statement on Kerry Taylor Auctions’ website.
According to Collin, producers wanted to avoid nudity and came up with the idea of Darcy wearing a white shirt instead.
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Actors Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle in character as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in period drama Pride And Prejudice, circa 1995. (Mark Lawrence/TV Times via Getty Images)
“Because on screen male nudity was not permitted… the idea of the ‘wet shirt’ was born. Our way round this was for Colin Firth to be filmed ¾ length wearing just the Irish linen shirt (copied from an antique original) which clung to the body.”
“The scene caused something of a sensation at the time and transformed Colin Firth from a respected classical actor to something of a sex symbol overnight!”
The lot is predicted to fetch anywhere from £7,000 to £10,000. In U.S. dollars, the estimate is $8,800 to $12,600.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, looks at the infamous white shirt worn by Colin Firth in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice which forms part of the Museum’s current display on Regency underwear during a visit to Jane Austen’s House, on Ap (Photo by Finnbarr Webster-Pool/Getty Images)
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Fox Business reached out to Kerry Taylor Auctions for comment.
