One of the most iconic costume pieces in film history, John Travolta’s white suit from 1977’s Saturday Night Fever, which for 17 years was owned by Jewish film critic Gene Siskel, is due to go up for auction next month.
The four-day sale, which is set to be held by Los Angeles’ memorabilia auction house Propstore next month, will see 1,700 famous film items being sold to bidders – and the one with the highest estimate is the suit, which is expected to sell for up to £300,000.
The outfit was created by costume designer Patrizia von Brandenstein especially for Travolta, completing the look of his fashionable character, club dancer Tony Manero.
Travolta wore the flared trousers and jacket set over an unbuttoned black shirt with classically large 1970s collars, as the actor strutted around the dance floor with Karren Lynn Gorney to the Bee Gees’ More Than A Woman.
Featuring an inscription on the fabric from Travolta himself, the suit was owned for nearly two decades by Siskel.
A passionate collector, the journalist and critic, who died in 1999, was a superfan of Saturday Night Fever, claiming to have watched the film over a dozen times in his life.
He purchased the suit for around £1,500 a year after the film came out.
The purchase proved very profitable for Siskel, who, after owning the suit for 17 years, sold it at an auction in the 1990s for over £100,000.
His own website states that it was his “most prized possession”.
Other items being auctioned off by Propstore next month include the giant rabbit costume from Donnie Darko, which could go for up to £150,000, and a set of prosthetic teeth from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which could fetch up to £30,000.
Propstore chief operating officer Brandon Alinger said: “[The auction] reflects the incredible diversity of entertainment memorabilia and offers collectors the opportunity to own authentic pieces of the films, performers and moments that continue to inspire audiences around the world.”
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