Judy Garland's Wizard of Oz dress fetches US$480,000

Judy Garland's blue and white gingham dress from The Wizard of Oz has sold for US$480,000 at a Beverly Hills auction, while a slice of Prince William's wedding cake fetched US$1,375.

Julien's Auctions said the price for the pinafore dress and white puffy-sleeved blouse that Garland wore throughout the 1939 film classic was in line with estimates.

But it was well below the sky-high figures paid last year for Hollywood costumes worn by Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, and a similar dress worn during tests for The Wizard of Oz that fetched US$910,000 in 2011.

Auctioneer Darren Julien said the price difference was due to the fact that only a few test dresses were made for The Wizard of Oz, while there are about seven versions of Garland's signature gingham pinafore.

The buyer of the Judy Garland dress, made by an MGM costume designer, was not identified.

Other highlights of the two-day Hollywood Icons sale included a green floral dress worn by Julie Andrews in several scenes of the movie The Sound of Music, which sold for US$38,400.