Nearly 300 personal possessions of late French film icon Brigitte Bardot—ranging from Repetto ballet flats and diamond rings to her personal copy of the Kama Sutra—went up for auction in Paris on Monday, with proceeds divided between her animal welfare foundation and her son.
Fans and collectors converged on the Drouot sale rooms in central Paris on Monday, September 21, to view an intimate collection drawn directly from the screen legend’s private spaces. The offerings include items from her residences in Saint-Tropez—specifically La Madrague and La Garrigue—as well as her apartment located on Rue de la Tour in Paris, with portions of her private quarters meticulously recreated within the Parisian auction venue.
Personal Mementos, Typewriters, and Iconic Ballet Flats
Organized by the Millon auction house under the banner Brigitte Bardot, From Idol to Icon
, the sale features more than 285 lots. The eclectic assortment bridges her days as an international cinema superstar and her decades as a fierce animal rights activist. Among the literary and artistic items is the manual Olivetti typewriter on which Bardot wrote the second volume of her memoirs, alongside annotated books, classical guitars, and her personal copy of the Kama Sutra.
Fashion items occupy a prominent place in the catalog. Two pairs of Repetto leather ballet shoes are among the standout pieces. As a trained ballerina, Bardot played a vital role in popularizing the brand after she asked the company to design a footwear model suitable for everyday wear. Her private wardrobe also yielded amber sunglasses, wide-brimmed hats, a black dress, Maud Frizon pumps, a Stella McCartney bag, and a Sonia Rykiel ensemble, alongside two bottles of Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue perfume.
Each item on sale bears the trace of an encounter, an involvement, a moment of happiness, a stage of her life.
Frank Guillou, longtime secretary
High-Value Jewelry and Modest Trinkets
The catalog spans a valuation gap, with starting prices tailored to both casual admirers and serious collectors. While the Millon auction house set most starting prices below 100 euros—including a trio of framed articles about her animal advocacy starting at roughly 30 euros—competitive bidding is expected to push final prices significantly higher. High-end highlights include a Mellerio ring set with a 3.67-carat diamond, a heart pendant by Fred engraved with the name of sculptor Miroslav Brozek (known professionally as Mirko), and an 18-karat charm bracelet believed to have been worn at her wedding to French actor Jacques Charrier.
Everyday domestic objects also fill the exhibition space, reflecting Bardot’s life away from the cameras. The collection features Le Creuset cookware, kitchenware, cigarette lighters, religious sculptures, straw baskets, a Peugeot bicycle, and numerous clocks, which she insisted on keeping in every room. Ghyslaine Calmels, managing director of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, noted that the objects represent her cherished second life.
“The objects presented are those she particularly cherished because they represent her second life,”
Ghyslaine Calmels, managing director of the Fondation Brigitte Bardot
The executive added that the sale provided insight into an intimate part of Bardot’s life and her commitment to the causes she held dear.
Animal Welfare Legacy and Estate Division
Proceeds from the auction will directly benefit the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which she established in 1986 after stepping away from the film industry, as well as her only son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. The collection itself bears witness to her lifelong devotion to animals, featuring various dog collars and stuffed toys accumulated over the decades.
Bardot died last December at the age of 91, leaving behind a complex cultural legacy. While she achieved global stardom in the 1950s—propelling her to the forefront of modern femininity and the sexual revolution through films like And God Created Woman—her later decades were marked by fierce animal rights campaigning alongside repeated legal controversies over public statements that French authorities prosecuted as inciting racial hatred.
