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For Sale: Colin Firth’s Wet Shirt From ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (Lake Not Included)

The shirt’s label literally says “WET SHIRT.”

By Ellen Gutoskey

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in 'Pride and Prejudice' (1995).
Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in 'Pride and Prejudice' (1995). / BBC
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In episode 4 of the BBC’s 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries, Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy strips down to his white shirt for a quick swim in the lake on his estate, Pemberley. Which means he’s underdressed and soaking wet when he unexpectedly runs into Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle) on his way back up to the house.

This so-called “Lake Scene,” which isn’t in the original Jane Austen novel, has become so iconic that you don’t need to be a serial re-watcher of the show to recognize it. Other actors have also gotten to put their own spin on the moment, including Jonathan Bailey in Netflix’s Bridgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch for a 2015 Vanity Fair photoshoot.

But if you are a serial re-watcher, this news will probably excite you more than most: The very shirt that Firth donned for the scene is currently up for auction via Invaluable, with the opening bid set at £5500 (about $6970). Not only will the buyer get to own the thigh-length white linen shirt, complete with a label that actually says “WET SHIRT,” but also the rest of Firth’s costume from the scene: the muslin cravat, moleskin pants, striped velvet waistcoat, gray wool tailcoat, and black and brown boots. It even comes with a signed photo of Firth.

colin firth's white shirt from 'pride and prejudice' lake scene on a mannequin
Measurements are in the listing. / Invaluable

According to costume designer Dinah Collin, the “wet shirt moment” wasn’t in the script—Firth was originally meant to be nude for the scene, but that would’ve been prohibitively inappropriate for a BBC broadcast at the time. Also, Firth himself never swam in the lake: The filmmakers were worried he’d catch a disease from the dirty water, so they had a stuntman do the dive. Firth filmed his underwater footage in a water tank at a London studio.

colin firth's costume with tailcoat from bbc's pride and prejudice lake scene
Nobody remembers the tailcoat. / Invaluable

All behind-the-scenes secrets aside, the auction is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for one lucky Pride and Prejudice super fan to take their fandom to the next level. You can place your bid online here; the live auction will take place on March 5 at 1 p.m. EST.

And if Matthew Macfadyen’s white shirt from Mr. Darcy’s sunrise stroll in Joe Wright’s 2005 Pride and Prejudice ever goes on sale, we’ll let you know.

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