Antiques Roadshow tells guest his dress from the '80s is worth $7,500 as it belonged to a Hollywood icon
The PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, uncovered several historical artifacts over its long run. Guests on the show often bring treasures the glamorous world of Hollywood, sometimes with zero idea about them or their true value. In one such episode, expert Steven Porterfield was delighted to see a precious dress designed by legendary designer Bob Mackie and worn by actress Brooke Shields. The guest was left in shock after the evaluation.
The Best Gift Ever
Appearing on the show at Palm Springs in 2016, the man brought a sequined dress that he got as a gift from the "Pretty Baby" actress. He explained that he was working as a hairdresser in New York City, and Shields was his client at the time.
Shields is perhaps best known for her role in the controversial film "Pretty Baby," and several other films in the late 1970s and early 80s. She also starred in popular TV shows like "Lipstick Jungle", "Jane the Virgin", and "Suddenly Susan", for which she received two Golden Globe nominations.
Towards the end of the Broadway production of her show "Grease", Shields surprised the man with the dress and told him that if he could fit into it and wear it before her stint ended, he could keep it.
The man did exactly that and showed up wearing the dress at the curtain call of the show. He even had a picture to show in which he was seen wearing the dress and handing flowers to Shields at the event. As promised, he got to keep the dress and he recalled that the actress was "kind enough" to autograph the dress as well.
In the YouTube video, the man added that a few days later, he met designer Bob Mackie at an event. He showed the legendary designer his creation, and he too autographed the dress and gave him the sketch that he had drawn for it.
Looking at the pictures, Porterfield asked the man how it was working with the actress. The hairdresser replied that she was "absolutely one of the most charming, professional, and giving people," and she gave him the dress to encourage more donations for the charity work he did.
Porterfield pointed out that Mackie was also a legend in the business and he had worked in popular shows like "The Carol Burnett Show", and with prominent people like Cher, Dolly Parton, Lucille Ball, Tina Turner, and more.
Porterfield then said that a dress alone from "The Sultan of Sequins" would go for at least $1,000. However, there was something special about the dress as it was autographed by both Mackie and Shields for whom the dress was specially designed in the 1980s.
He then showed the signatures which were at a 'bold' part on the dress according to the expert. While Mackie's signature beside the label appeared intact, Shields' signature looked faded as if she had used an ordinary ink pen.
Thus the appraiser estimated that the dress could easily fetch up to $7,500 at an auction. The owner of the dress smiled as he called the dress "the best gift ever."
