The Iconic Ferris Bueller Sweater Heads to Auction

In 1986, one Illinois high school student decided to skip school for the day, and the rest was comedy history. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was a high point in the careers of just about everyone involved, including writer/director John Hughes and star Matthew Broderick. It’s also endured far better than most films of its era, with the movie continuing to be the subject of retrospectives with a planned spin-off in the works.

There’s also the matter of the sweater that Broderick wore in his role as Bueller. That distinctive piece of clothing is now available at auction via Sotheby’s, which estimates that it will sell for between $300,000 and $600,000. As of this writing, the high bid is $130,000, though the auction itself does not close until June 24.

The sweater’s current owner, Darren Rovell, offered some thoughts on its legacy in a statement. “There are few costumes in Hollywood history that are instantly recognizable, and this is undeniably one of them. For the discerning collector, it possesses all the hallmarks of greatness: exceptional preservation, iconic status and unquestionable authenticity,” he said.

“In an industry where provenance is often contested, this piece stands apart — not only photomatched but also personally inspected and confirmed by the film’s costume designer, Marilyn Vance, four decades later,” Rovell added. The sweater isn’t the first Bueller-related clothing to head to auction. In 2013, the leather jacket Broderick wore in the film sold for $30,750.

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In a 2012 interview with Dazed, Marilyn Vance reflected on her work on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and her collaborations with John Hughes. “[C]ostume designers really have to serve the character, from script to screen,” Vance recalled. “John Hughes called me his ‘visual voice.’” One deep-pocketed bidder is about to get closer to the sound of that voice, metaphorically speaking.