The Exquisite Taste of Elizabeth Taylor: She Still Fascinates

Pictured: Elizabeth Taylor from the  movie BOOM glittering above MOCA.

Pictured: The Krupp Diamond a gift from  Richard Burton.

Pictured: Her rubies from Mike Todd.

This nice little Jewish girl owned more than the fabulous diamond. On  display were some of her fashions from the 1960s, which were incredible.  Check out the exquisite detail on the Christian Dior dress (below) that she wore to the premiere of Dr. Faustuswith Richard Burton.

Also on display, is an exquisite beaded and embroidered kimono by Irene Sharif that she wore in the movie “BOOM!”  BOOM is a camp classic, with Elizabeth wearing much of her jewelry in the film including the Krupp diamond and her Bvlgari emerald necklace.  Only Elizabeth Taylor as Mrs. Goforth could get away with saying she wanted to start her morning with “a cold bottle of mineral water, suntan lotion, cigarettes, codeine tabs, a bucket of ice, a glass, a bottle of brandy, my newspapers: the Paris Trib The Rome Daily American, The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Daily Express.”   Who needs coffee in the morning when you are padding around Sardinia with Richard Burton wearing gorgeous Irene Sharif kaftans and kimonos? (see the pictures of the kimono below)

Although “BOOM” was a box office failure, I’m glad Elizabeth preserved her costumes, because they are amazing as you can see.   The exhibit also contained a gown she wore in another critical failure, “Secret Ceremony”  (pictured on the left) alongside one of her couture Dior ensembles. Her white Chanel ball gown (pictured on the right)  is simply stunning. Elizabeth Taylor was a longtime client of Dior, Chanel and Valentino among others.

Despite the gifts Elizabeth received, my favorite piece of jewelry in her collection was this Boucheronbrooch that she purchased for herself. It is exquisite in its fine detail.

Pictured: A Boucheron Brooch

If you have the chance to see the exhibit in New York, Geneva or the other cities is it coming to, please do. It provides rare insight into this fascinating icon. Most of people I met at the exhibit just wanted to get a glimpse of how Elizabeth Taylor lived and a little piece of what she left behind. As Richard Burton said, “She still fascinates.”

I have to admit I am curious to see if some companies buy her jewelry and make replicas of it, as happened with Jackie Kennedy’s collection. In 1993, Elizabeth Taylor partnered with AVON to make replicas of some of her pieces.  You can still find many of those pieces online for sale via eBay.  The AVON pieces provide a low price alternative to the Christie’s auction. AVON even made a replica of Elizabeth’s Shah Jehan Pendant.