Entertainment News
2006-09-06
Cher to
have "garage sale"
Fashion icon and
award-winning singer and actress Cher is clearing her
Malibu, Calif., home of its Gothic contents and
re
Fashion icon and
award-winning singer and actress Cher is clearing her
Malibu, Calif., home of its Gothic contents and
reshaping her life in a giant "garage sale."
Following a trend
set by rock star Elton John, Cher is selling nearly 800
items, from stage costumes to gem-encrusted jewelry, works
of art, furniture, and even a huge Hummer car, in an
auction expected to raise more than $1 million.
"This is a lot
more than a garage sale. Apart from the dresses and
jewels, there are Old Masters and architectural drawings,"
said Darren Julien of Julien's auctions.
"She has a huge
following. She is an icon. Her career in song, stage,
and screen has spanned nearly four decades," he told Reuters
as some of the items went on show in London on Monday,
ahead of the sale in Los Angeles on October
3–4.
The sale is being
jointly organized by Sotheby's New York office and
Julien's of the United States.
Among the items
on show are several dresses by star designer Bob Mackie,
white and yellow gold rings and necklaces, and a book of
architectural drawings by 19th-century Gothic
revivalist Augustus Pugin.
Cher, born
Cherylin Sarkisian in May 1946, first hit fame alongside
Sonny Bono with the 1965 hit "I Got You Babe," and her
roller-coaster career has been echoed by her turbulent
and often front-page private life.
An Oscar nominee
for Silkwood and winner for Moonstruck,
she has also won a Grammy and an Emmy, been awarded
Best Actress by the Cannes Film Festival, and won
three Golden Globes.
But she is
probably equally well-known for her willowy body and
contour-hugging flamboyant dresses.
"She decided a
while ago that she wanted to sell off a few things and
change her style, and it grew from that to this collection
of some 200 gowns and costumes and nearly 800 items in
total," Julien said. "She is redecorating her home,
going for a Moroccan-Tibetan look, and selling the
Gothic revival items," he added, noting that the
mannequins supporting the dresses had to be especially made
because of Cher's special figure.
But not all the
money from the sale at the Beverly Hilton will go back
into Cher's home—an undeclared but "substantial"
portion will go to a range of charities that she
supports, Julien said.
And it is not as
though she needs the money—in 2002 Rolling
Stone magazine estimated her personal wealth at
$600 million. (Reuters)
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