Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy ‘wet shirt’ goes up for public sale in London | EUROtoday

Now, Firth followers can bid for the (sadly dry) shirt, which matches beneath the hammer at a charity public sale in London on Tuesday, with the public sale home estimating it may promote for as much as 10,000 kilos ($12,700).

The 1810s-style shirt encompasses a deep collar, loosely buttoned neck opening and a label inked with the actor’s identify, whereas the remainder of the costume contains “buff moleskin fall front breeches” and “a waistcoat of ribbed velvet,” in keeping with an outline of the lot by Kerry Taylor Auctions, which is working the bid.

Sorry, Jane Austen, however Mr. Darcy is definitely the worst

Other costumes beneath the hammer of the charity public sale embrace outfits from the British interval drama “Downton Abbey” and films together with “Sherlock Holmes” and “La Vie en Rose” — though none of them have reached fairly the identical iconic standing as that translucent moist shirt.

“The costumes range in style from fantasy Renaissance creations to more wearable 20th century silhouettes and will appeal to serious Hollywood and tv period drama costume collectors,” Kerry Taylor Auctions stated in a press release.

The memorable scene involving the shirt depicts the repressed heartthrob taking a dip in a lake to chill off after a horse experience earlier than he’s noticed by heroine Bennet as she unwittingly excursions his lavish Pemberley property. Speaking with palpable embarrassment as she comes throughout him soaking moist, she exclaims, “Mr. Darcy!” earlier than he awkwardly enquires about her household’s well being (twice) and hurriedly excuses himself — a lot to viewers’ amusement.

“Mr. Darcy’s ‘wet shirt moment’ was never scripted,” costume designer Dinah Collin stated in a press release in regards to the public sale. “Because on screen male nudity was not permitted,” resulting from BBC broadcasting guidelines, “the idea of the ‘wet shirt’ was born,” she stated, including: “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!”

Despite the hearts it set a-racing, the scene was in reality by no means written by Austen.

“‘Pride and Prejudice’ doesn’t include a scene in which Darcy jumps into a lake,” Sandie Byrne, professor of English on the University of Oxford, informed The Washington Post by e mail.

There is a reference within the 1813 revealed e-book to “a stream of some natural importance,” defined Byrne, which Darcy invitations Elizabeth Bennet’s uncle Mr. Gardiner to fish in.

“There’s much to enjoy in the BBC and other adaptations, but watching them is a quite different experience from reading the novels,” Byrne stated. “For me, the adaptations lose most of the qualities for which we value Austen’s work. The writing is more subtle and nuanced and at the same time more revolutionary than the TV series and films.”

Heather Thomas, a trustee of the Jane Austen Society, which goals to foster appreciation and research of the work and lifetime of Austen, stated in an e mail: “We cannot guess what Austen would have made of ‘the shirt,’ but her novels contain plenty of seductions and elopements, so she understood the force of sexual attraction as she understood all aspects of the human heart. The Society wishes the auction well in its fund-raising.”

The lake scene has since impressed others, together with within the Netflix collection “Bridgerton” and the film “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” which sees Hugh Grant’s character fall right into a lake as Firth’s character appears on, in a cheeky homage to the BBC collection.

The charity public sale contains 69 tons from the costume home Cosprop, based by Academy Award-winning costume designer John Bright. As properly because the Darcy shirt, it is going to characteristic outfits from standard dramas similar to “Peaky Blinders,” and “Poldark,” in addition to these worn by actors Margot Robbie (“Goodbye Christopher Robin”), Julie Andrews (“Victor/Victoria”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”).

Others embrace a Christian Dior ball robe worn by Madonna within the movie “Evita,” a swimsuit worn by Johnny Depp within the film “Sleepy Hollow,” and others worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in “Emma” and Kate Winslet in “Finding Neverland.”

The funds raised by the “Lights Camera Auction” public sale occasion will go to the Bright Foundation, an arts training charity based by costume designer Bright.

“We are beyond grateful for the enormous generosity of Kerry Taylor Auctions who are hosting the event,” the charity stated in a press release, including that the proceeds will “provide free access to theater shows, museum tours, visual and performance arts workshops for children who might not otherwise have the chance to do so, as well as supporting creative career pathways for young people.”

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