Elizabeth Taylor’s designer clothes to be sold at auction for thousands

'Elizabeth Taylor led the way for how we define modern-day celebrity’

(Getty Images)

Items from Elizabeth Taylor's glamorous designer wardrobe are to be put up for auction later this year.

Taylor cemented her status as a fashion icon throughout her 60-year acting career, appearing in classic films such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Eight years after her death at the age of 79, several of the pieces worn by the actor during her heyday are to be auctioned by California-based auction house Julien's Auctions.

"Elizabeth Taylor was a woman of many firsts and basically led the way for how we define modern-day celebrity," says Darren Julien, president and CEO of the auction house.

"Try defining the last half of the 20th century without her. It can’t be done. That was the power of her influence."

From Friday 6 December to Sunday 8 December, possessions owned by Taylor will be auctioned in Beverly Hills and online.

In addition to items of clothing worn by Taylor, other items up for auction include household items, decorative art and jewellery owned by the star of the silver screen.

A blue chiffon Edith Head evening gown worn by Taylor to the premiere of the 1974 film That's Entertainment is expected to sell for $4,000 (£3,189).

Meanwhile, a pair of cowboy boots owned by the actor is estimated to go for $600 (£478).

In addition to the auction, Julien's Auctions is also selling limited-edition catalogues about Taylor's lifestyle, one in a silver hardcover for $400 (£318) and one in a purple velvet case for $1,000 (£797).

All proceeds from the sales of the catalogues will go towards the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF).

Described as the "first globally recognised celebrity HIV and Aids activist", Taylor co-founded the American Foundation for Aids Research (amfAR) in 1985 and ETAF six years later.

The multi-Academy Award winner passed away in 2011 from congestive heart failure.