The theft of the $150,000 pearl-encrusted gown that Lupita Nyong’o wore to the Oscars comes as no surprise to Hollywood stylists with personal experience of the seedy side of red carpet fashion.
Style expert and fashion commentator Mary Alice Stevenson has heard similar stories of celebrity theft over the years.
“It doesn’t surprise me that this was taken from her hotel room,” said Stevenson, who once had a Fendi bag stolen and held for ransom.
Dresses like the custom ivory dress designed by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein Collection can fetch high prices on the black market, Stevenson said.
“There are a lot of collectors out there who have very private, stolen items in their personal collections,” she said. “Some of these dresses are as world famous as Van Gogh’s works.”
But Brian Abbott, director of the Los Angeles auction house, said it would be difficult to obtain top price on the black market.
“Celebrity material has added value because it relates to that celebrity,” he said. “If it was stolen, that added value would not be realised.”
“I can’t think of anything harder to sell than a high-profile Oscars dress, with a big-name manufacturer and a big-name connection to a big name. It would have to be buried for 100 years,” he added.
Abbott said the 6,000 separated pearls would not be worth much on their own.
“Most pearls don’t have much resale value to begin with, unless they’re from a big name brand like Mikimoto,” he says. “If the dress was made with Mikimoto pearls, it would be worth millions of dollars.”
Deputies were called to a West Hollywood hotel late Wednesday after receiving a report that a custom-made dress was missing from the actress’ hotel room, according to Undersheriff Richard Bowman.
Ms Nyong’o was present when officers took the report but was not in the room when the ornate gown was stolen, Mr Bowman said. A spokesman for Ms Nyong’o declined to comment on the theft.
The actress’s representative reported the theft, and Undersheriff William Nash said detectives believe the clothes were stolen between 8 and 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Detectives were at the hotel on Thursday searching for clues, including surveillance camera footage, that might shed light on what happened.
Nyong’o won an Oscar in 2014 for her performance in “12 Years a Slave” and was a presenter at Sunday’s ceremony.
The 31-year-old actress has been a Hollywood red carpet darling over the past two years, garnering praise from critics and fans for her fashion choices. She accessorized her dress with Chopard diamond drop earrings and three Chopard diamond rings.
“I’m just wearing diamonds and pearls, a tribute to Prince,” Nyong’o told The Associated Press on the red carpet before the ceremony, referring to the musician’s popular song.
Nyong’o told Yahoo Style that she had a hand in designing the dress.
“We talked about it being fluid and liquid,” she told the site. “I wanted it to be an homage to the ocean.”
A representative for Calvin Klein declined to comment, but late Thursday night the fashion house tweeted a close-up photo of the dress, asking, “Have you seen this dress?” and adding the hashtag “freethepearls.”