The iconic little black dress famously worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's has gone under the hammer for a record £410,000. Christie's auction house in London sold the dress to an anonymous telephone buyer for almost six times the original estimate placed on it.

Hailed as a piece of movie history, the sleeveless shift went for the highest amount ever paid for a gown from a film.

Designer Hubert de Givenchy, who created the design for the 1961 flick, donated it to writer Dominic Lapierre - author of the book City Of Joy - and his wife, to help raise funds for their charity which benefits the poor of Calcutta. "I'm absolutely dumbfounded to believe that a piece of cloth which belonged to such a magical actress will now enable me to buy bricks and cement to put the most destitute children in the world into schools," he said.

The black Givenchy creation had been expected to raise £70,000, but frenzied bidding ensured a final sum that easily eclipsed the £140,000 recently paid for the blue-and-white gingham dress Judy Garland wore in The Wizard Of Oz. "This is one of the most famous black dresses in the world - an iconic piece of cinematic history - and we are glad it fetched a historic price," said Christie's film specialist Sarah Hodgson.

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