eBay Puts Pieces of American Fashion History Up for Auction, Including Dress Worn By Winona Ryder During 2002 Shoplifting Trial
Fashion collectors will get a chance to bid on everything from a Marc Jacobs dress worn by Winona Ryder to a Bob Mackie gown worn by Miley Cyrus when eBay opens its latest live auction during New York Fashion Week. The company announced Endless Runway: The Archive, a one-night retrospective and auction celebrating four decades of American fashion. The event takes place September 9 and will feature more than 150 rare and archival pieces by American designers, including items pulled from eBay as well as pieces contributed directly by major fashion houses.
The exhibition was created in partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and curated by editor and stylist Carlos Nazario. Jenna Lyons will host the accompanying eBay Live auction, which begins at 7:30 PM ET and will be streamed directly from the exhibition.
Among the pieces coming straight from designer archives are a Calvin Klein Collection Spring/Summer 1996 dress, a Diane von Furstenberg Spring/Summer 2006 wrap dress, a Jason Wu Fall/Winter 2011 dress and a Vera Wang Spring/Summer 2024 ballgown. Michael Kors is contributing a Resort 1990 slip dress covered in hand-applied crystal embroidery. The design was later worn by Bella Hadid during Kors’ 40th anniversary show, and Kors noted that versions of the dress have also been worn by Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter. Other archive pieces include a Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2018 PS1 bag, a Tommy Hilfiger Fall/Winter 2016 leather dress and cashmere double-breasted coat, and a Willy Chavarria Spring/Summer 2025 gown.
Some of the most interesting lots, however, come with direct ties to celebrities and well-known moments in fashion history. A Marc Jacobs Fall 2001 trompe-l’œil dress worn by Winona Ryder during her 2002 shoplifting trial will be offered, along with a vintage Bob Mackie beaded silk gown worn by Miley Cyrus on The Voice in 2017. Collectors will also find a Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis American flag sweater modeled by Julia Roberts, along with a Tom Ford for Gucci Spring/Summer 1996 mini dress modeled by Helena Christensen.
The auction stretches well beyond clothing associated with celebrities. An Anna Sui Fall/Winter 2006 babydoll dress, a vintage Isaac Mizrahi suede patchwork mini skirt, a Norma Kamali 1990s sleeping bag coat and a hand-painted Ralph Lauren equestrian wrap skirt are also among the pieces sourced through eBay.
More recent fashion history is represented by a Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2019 varsity jacket, while another Tom Ford piece comes from his Spring/Summer 2003 collection for Yves Saint Laurent.
Rather than treating the pieces simply as vintage clothing, eBay is presenting the event as a look at how American fashion evolved from the 1970s through today. The exhibition covers the rise of American sportswear, the minimalism and grunge of the 1990s, American designers working at major European fashion houses and the designers currently shaping New York fashion.
All of the exhibition pieces sourced through eBay were styled by eBay Resident Stylist Brie Welch. Proceeds from the eBay Live auction will benefit the CFDA. Collectors can watch Endless Runway: The Archive and bid on select pieces through eBay Live beginning September 9 at 7:30 PM ET.