Auction for Cher's goods collects $3.5M

BEVERLY HILLS—Of the dozens of vintage gowns and flashy costumes Cher put up for auction, a skimpy black number made of fishnet, rhinestone and patches of fabric got the highest bid.
The Bob Mackie-designed outfit, which came with a black leather jacket, sold for $60,000 — about twice the asking price, said Darren Julien, president of Julien Auction. His firm helped administer the two-day auction, which brought in a total of $3.5 million, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with Sotheby's.
Cher put up 700 items and said she was amazed by what people were willing to spend for them.
"She couldn't believe it," Julien said. The 60-year-old singer and actress was traveling abroad and has not learned the final tally, he added.
Cher announced in July that she wanted to sell some of her clothing, furniture and other items so that she can redecorate her Malibu home. A percentage of the auction's proceeds were to benefit several charitable foundations.
A black 2005 Bentley Continental GT Coupe fetched the highest bid of $204,000, or about $34,000 more than the asking price. A Gothic revival brass bed, circa 1865, sold for $84,000.
Cher's asking that all winning bidders send her pictures of the items in their new homes.
"She jokingly said to me, 'I want to do that to know they're appreciated and cared for, and I can call those people in case I want to buy them back.'"—Agencies