Colin Firth’s shirt among designs in auction for Hastings charity

The shirt worn by Colin Firth in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is up for sale

Award-winning actor Colin Firth's famous shirt from the BBC series Pride & Prejudice is up for grabs.

The garment is among costumes designed by Oscar-winning designer John Bright which are being auctioned for charity.

Other lots include a Christian Dior dress worn by Madonna in Evita and Meryl Streep's cape from The French Lieutenant's Woman.

The sale is in aid of the Hastings-based Bright Foundation, an arts education charity.

More than 60 costumes created by Cosprop, the design company set up by Mr Bright in 1965, will be available.

Money raised will go to arts education charity The Bright Foundation, which operates in Hastings, East Sussex

Other items include Johnny Depp's costume in Sleepy Hollow, Heath Ledger's masquerade ball attire from Casanova and one of Elizabeth Taylor's dresses from Young Toscanini.

The auction will also offer memorabilia from stars including Margot Robbie, Keira Knightley, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Andrews and Daniel Radcliffe.

Mr Bright, from Hastings, East Sussex, won an Oscar and a Bafta in 1986 for the costumes he created for Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in A Room With a View.

He said: "My life's work has been committed to costume design for film, TV and theatre, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to pursue this path.

"It is my firmly held belief that the arts and creativity can shape happier and healthier children and enable young people to reach their full potential."

Colin Firth's shirt from BBC's Pride & Prejudice has an estimate of £7,000 to £10,000

The auction will take place on 5 March via Kerry Taylor Auctions.

The proceeds will be donated to The Bright Foundation to provide free access to theatre shows, tours and workshops for children.

Auctioneer Kerry Taylor said Madonna's dress had an estimate of £40,000 to £60,000, while Colin Firth's shirt had an estimate of up to £10,000.

"Our favourite lot is lot one, which is this beautiful dress worn by Drew Barrymore as Danielle in the film Ever After," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

"Every girl in the world seems to want that one."

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