Michael Jackson’s iconic fashion pieces are going under the hammer again this December, nearly two decades after some of them were last sold at auction.
Julien’s Auctions announced on 7 October that four landmark items associated with the King of Pop’s transformative 1983 performances will headline its “Michael Jackson: The Fashion Legacy Evening Auction”. The sale is part of the auction house’s inaugural Celebrity & Pop Culture Experience, scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 December at the Rosewood Abu Dhabi.
The original black-and-candy-red leather jacket Jackson wore in the groundbreaking 1983 “Thriller” music video will lead the offering. Designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, it is one of only two jackets created for the production and the only one worn by Jackson in the non-zombie scenes.
The jacket previously sold for $1.8 million in 2011 through Julien’s Auctions and is widely expected to set a new record.
Accompanying the Thriller jacket are the black Florsheim loafers Jackson wore during filming and rehearsals for the music video. They are estimated at $30,000-$50,000 and come with a signed letter to choreographer Michael Peters.
Glove worn during moonwalk debut
The rhinestone-studded glove Jackson wore during his historic “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” performance in 1983, when he publicly debuted the moonwalk while performing “Billie Jean”, is also going under the hammer.
The glove last sold in 2009 for a then-record $420,000 and carries an estimate of $600,000-$800,000 in the upcoming auction.
The black Florsheim loafers associated with the same performance are estimated at $60,000-$80,000.
“As the world’s leading entertainment auction house, and the team that set world records for both the ‘Thriller’ jacket in 2011 and the ‘Motown 25’ glove in 2009, it is a true privilege to offer these pieces of history again,” said Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien’s Auctions, in a press release.
“Each one carries a moment that changed pop culture forever,” he added.
Before the Abu Dhabi sale, the items will appear on an international preview tour. They will also be displayed on 24 October at Prince Jackson’s Heal Los Angeles Foundation’s “This Is Thriller” event at the historic Palace Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, where portions of the “Thriller” video were filmed.
(Edited By Raunaq Lekhi)