'I had to be stitched into them': Olivia Newton-John's skintight Grease outfit goes to auction
Olivia Newton-John’s black leather jacket and tight black pants from the 1978 musical film Grease – complete with a broken zipper – will be auctioned this week as the top item in a sale to help raise money for NewtonJohn’s cancer treatment centre in Australia.
The outfit that marks the character’s transition from demure highschooler to sexy Sandy Olsson in her final duet with John Travolta, You’re the One That I Want, is expected to fetch up to $200,000 (£156,000), Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles said.
“The pants have a broken zip and I had to be stitched into them because they were made in the 50s,” NewtonJohn, 71, told Reuters Television.
The British-born and Australianraised actress has breast cancer for a third time and is selling more than 500 items including: her original script from the film, estimated at up to $4,000; the pink gown she wore to the Grease premiere in Los Angeles, estimated at $3,000–$5,000; a custom-made Pink Ladies jacket given to her by the Grease cast and crew.
Although it took a long time to sort through her career memorabilia for the auction, deciding to sell was easy.
“I’ve realised over the years, especially when you go through stuff, that stuff isn’t what’s important,” she said.
“It took quite a few months to weed through boxes and storage containers. But it was a fun venture. It just took a lot of time and sorting.”
Earlier this year Newton-John said she had breast cancer for a third time after first being diagnosed in 1992.
She helped set up the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia, which aims to support the mind and the body.
The auction will take place at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday 2 November. Some of the proceeds will go to the Wellness and Research Centre.