Freddie Mercury might be one of the most talented vocalists of all time—but he’s also a fashion icon of unparalleled status. The lead singer of Queen, who was born on September 5th 1946 with the given name Farrokh Bulsara, once famously said: “I dress to kill, but tastefully.”In addition to being the mastermind of the Queen’s over-the-top stage costumes, the singer, who died at the age of 45, also designed the band’s iconic logo and many of their album covers. But in terms of his own personal taste, Mercury was known for gravitating towards unapologetically flamboyant styles. That resulted in countless getups made of spandex and sparkles, leather and fur, plus plenty of printed unitards. Freddie helped organise a major fashion show at Fashion Aid in London featuring designs by Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein and Issey Miyake, modeled by the girls of the moment, including Jerry Hall and Grace Jones. The finale of the show, however, was the highlight. English actress Jane Seymour sauntered out in a white lace dress tied up with bows that was designed by the Emanuels; they were the same duo that created Princess Diana’s iconic wedding gown.
Freddie Mercury’s Never-Before-Seen Personal Effects Will Soon Be For Sale
In September 2023, Sotheby’s London will offer – what might become – one of the most extraordinary celebrity sales to ever come up on the auction market. Freddie Mercury, who passed away in 1991 at the age of 45, left behind an incredible musical legacy that has only grown each year. He also left his Garden Lodge home in London, which has remained untouched – until now. Garden Lodge was left by Mercury to Mary Austin, who was one of his closest friends. After more than 30 years, Austin has decided to sell the impressive Freddie Mercury collection – a mission that every auction house in the world would do everything to take on. The honor was given to Sotheby’s, who has divided the sale into six parts: The Evening Sale, On Stage, At Home, In Love with Japan, and Crazy Little Things part 1 and 2. In total, the sale includes more than 1,500 lots.
auction houses proudly present celebrity estate auctions. Sotheby’s sold the John Lennon collection in 1984, the Andy Warhol collection in 1988, and the Frank Sinatra collection in 2018, to mention a few. Christie’s, on the other hand, held the impressive Marilyn Monroe estate auction in 1999 and the Ronald Reagan estate auction in 2016. Another notable auction house with many celebrity estate auctions is Julien’s Auctions, with names such as Greta Garbo, Ringo Starr, and football icon Pelé. Lastly, Heritage Auction has offered estate auctions of Hollywood legends John Wayne and Gregory Peck.
For many years, the demand for handwritten lyrics by some of the world’s finest singer-songwriters has been enormous. Original lyrics to Dylan’s 1965 classic Like a Rolling Stone sold for $2 million in 2014. Two other seven-figure sales are The Beatles’ songs A Day in the Life and All You Need is Love, both of which were handwritten by John Lennon. One of the most anticipated items in the 6-part Freddie Mercury auction is the handwritten lyrics to We Are the Champions. The song, written by Mercury, was released in 1977 and immediately became a fan favorite. Today, it is undoubtedly one of pop culture’s most iconic and recognizable anthems.
The sale of the monumental Freddie Mercury collection will include showings in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and London. It is the largest-ever exhibition that Sotheby’s has created, and the sale will be closely followed by collectors all over the world. This auction will probably go down as the greatest single-celebrity sale ever to have been offered to the public, and many auction records are expected to be broken.
