Amy Winehouse's Last Concert Dress to Go Under the Hammer

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo, British singer Amy Winehouse poses for a photograph at a studio in north London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo, British singer Amy Winehouse poses for a photograph at a studio in north London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
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Amy Winehouse's Last Concert Dress to Go Under the Hammer

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo, British singer Amy Winehouse poses for a photograph at a studio in north London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo, British singer Amy Winehouse poses for a photograph at a studio in north London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

The dress that singer Amy Winehouse wore for her final performance will be auctioned this weekend in California, as part of a trove of memorabilia from the soul diva's life.

Winehouse wore the green and black bamboo print at a concert in Belgrade in 2011.

A month later, on July 23, she was dead from acute alcohol poisoning. She was 27.

Her tragic death was the culmination of a lengthy -- and often very public -- struggle with alcohol and drugs.

The dress is the highlight of an 800-item collection of personal effects, ranging from bras and DVDs to books and make-up that are being sold by Winehouse's parents Mitch and Janis.

"It took them a long time to actually come to terms and decide to let go," said Martin Nolan of auction house Julien's, which is managing the sale.

"Of course, there are fans and museums and collectors all over the world that will want to own some of these items, care for them, show them at museums, keep her legacy and her memory alive and at the same time raise some money for the foundation," he added.

The proceeds will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which supports vulnerable young adults battling addiction, AFP reported.

Multi-Grammy-winning Winehouse, whose seminal and intensely soulful 2006 album "Back to Black," is counted as a modern classic, often spoke of her personal experiences battling alcohol and drug addiction.

The short, green and black dress designed by Naomi Parry, is expected to sell for between $15,000 and $20,000.

"That's very iconic. But all of these dresses represent Amy -- fantastic musician, songwriter, but also a fashion icon," said Nolan.

Another highlight of the sale is the heart-shaped handbag custom-made for her by Moschino that Winehouse used at the 2007 Brit Awards.

The 400-plus-page catalogue put together by Julien's is a walk-through of the singer's influences and career, but also her distinctive retro style that made her a fashion icon.

Many of the dresses she wore in performances are valued between $5,000 and $7,000, while her earrings will start at $400. Her signature red lipstick is expected to fetch between $400 and $600.

The auction, in Beverly Hill, runs from Saturday to Sunday, and is forecast to raise around $2 million.



Spielberg, Spike Lee and Queen Latifah among Standouts in US Arts and Humanities Honored by Biden

First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Spielberg, Spike Lee and Queen Latifah among Standouts in US Arts and Humanities Honored by Biden

First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden on Monday honored acclaimed filmmakers, singers, writers and others who have made their mark on American culture, awarding the prestigious National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals to 39 recipients.
Filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Ken Burns and singers Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah were among 20 recipients of National Medals of Arts, while the 19 recipients of National Humanities Medals included playwright-screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham, The Associated Press said.
Three of the medals were awarded posthumously: The late singer Selena Quintanilla and artist Ruth Asawa are arts medal winners and the late chef-author Anthony Bourdain was among the humanities medal winners.
“Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done,” Biden said at the White House ceremony.
Biden took a brief detour in his remarks to give a shout-out to Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for the White House.
“I know the power of the women in this room to get things done” and boost the next generation, he said, adding that the female winners were “proving a woman can do anything a man can do, and then some, that includes being president of the United States of America.”
The line drew a standing ovation.
Biden also told the winners that the moment was a “very consequential time in the arts and humanities in America” because “extreme forces are banning books, trying to erase history, spreading misinformation.”
The arts medals are managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the humanities medals by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, producer Bruce Cohen and musicians Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and Herbert I. Ohta also received arts medals, along with photographers Randy A. Batista and Clyde Butcher, artists Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Katz and Mark Bradford, arts leaders Jo Carole Lauder and Bruce Sagan and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The arts medals are given “to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”
Other humanities winners included former US poet laureate Joy Harjo, actor-literacy advocate LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast and philanthropists Wallis Annenberg and Darren Walker. The humanities medals honor “an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.”
Humanities medalists ranged from such cultural institutions as the Mellon Foundation and Appalshop to educators Robin Harris, Robert Martin and Ruth J. Simmons to scholars Pauline Yu, Nicolás Kanellos and Robin Wall Kimmerer. Writer Juan Felipe Herrera, filmmaker Dawn Porter and anthropologist Rosita Worl also were honored.