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NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 11, 2015 -- Fifteen gowns and dresses previously owned by Whitney Houston, some worn on-stage and others at events and galas, plus some of the late singing legend's personal effects – such as pins, costume jewelry and other stage items – will be sold at public auction on Saturday, Nov. 21st, by Stevens Auction Company, at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort.
Ms. Houston's fifteen dresses and gowns are in pristine, like-new condition. All of them were important to the late singer's career and the public will be viewing them for the first time since she wore them and they went into storage. Perhaps the most important one of the group is a gold and white dress designed by Bob Mackie. All the dresses, though, are seen as highly collectible.
The dresses and personal effects are from the late singer's Bodyguard World Tour, launched on the heels of the hit movie The Bodyguard (starring Ms. Houston and Kevin Costner) and taking her to numerous countries on five continents, from July 1993 to November 1994. At the end of the tour, the items were placed into storage at a New Jersey facility, where they sat undisturbed.
For reasons that are still unclear, storage fees went unpaid and piled up over the course of many years. Finally, a court ordered that some of the items be sold at auction to satisfy that debt. In 2007, five dresses and three ensembles from Houston's wardrobe were sold at auction. Then, in 2012, just weeks after the singer's death, another auction was held, this time in Beverly Hills.
At that sale, a bustier embellished with elaborate beading, rhinestones and pearls hammered for $19,200; the grey velvet gown Houston wore when she attended the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party with then-husband Bobby Brown in 1996 brought $11,520; and two sets of earrings and a vest worn in The Bodyguard (1992) fetched $8,500. In all, bidders paid a total of about $80,000.
The Whitney Houston items are the undisputed stars of the auction, but also sold will be many fine antique items, pulled from prominent estates and collections from Texas to the East coast. Included will be priceless American and European antiques.
The Nov. 21st auction will get underway at 10 a.m. Central time, and an auction open house (or preview) will take place on Friday, Nov. 20th, from 3-8 p.m. The auction will be broadcast in real time around the world through LiveAuctioneers.com, but bidders should know that they must register to bid online at least 12 hours prior to the start of auction.
Stevens Auction Company may be reached by phone at (662) 369-2200; or, you can e-mail them at stevensauction@bellsouth.net. To learn more about Stevens Auction Company and the upcoming November 21st auction, visit www.stevensauction.com.
