Janet Jackson's career has been epic. She has pages of honors — five Grammys, an MTV Video Music Awards Video Vanguard trophy and an Oscar nomination, to name just a few — and an evolving sense of style that makes her one of those people who's always cool.
Now, some of her most recognizable possessions are set to be sold May 21 both live at a Julien's Auctions event held at Hard Rock Cafe New York and online at JuliensLive.com.
Darren Julien, the action house's president and founder, said Jackson's clothing and jewelry have garnered the most interest so far, followed by her Aston Martin sports car."
Janet Jackson is known for her class, fashion, style so anything associated with her career or personal life will be highly sought after," he tells Yahoo Entertainment. "Everyone wants a piece of global icon Janet Jackson!"
Janet Jackson performs "Scream" during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
He noted that these items, which include her clothing and furniture, offer a peek into the star's time off stage.
"We have some of her production binders from video shoots including annotated handwritten notations," Julien says. "In addition, there are multiple record awards presented directly to Janet. Janet wanted to include items at every price point for all her fans so she included some of her vinyl albums that she signed."
You can see them all by purchasing the limited edition catalog on the Julien's Auctions website or visiting one of the public exhibitions ahead of the auction: at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in New Jersey, from May 8-21, and the Hard Rock Cafe New York in New York City, from May 15-21.
Here's a peek at some of them:
(Photo: Julien's Auctions)
The black-and-white video for "Scream," the song Jackson sang with her most famous brother, Michael, was such a big deal. At a time when audiences for network television were much larger, simply because there wasn't any other choice of what to watch, more than 60 million people saw the clip during primetime on June 14, 1995, as part of a special episode of ABC's Diane Sawyer-hosted Primetime Live, in which she interviewed Michael and his then-wife, Lisa Marie Presley.
The lyrics to "Scream," the lead single from Michael's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album, were a message from him to the tabloids of the day, which were circling him both because of his marriage to Presley and because of accusations that he had sexually abused children, which he denied. (He was tried on related charges in 2005 and was acquitted.) "Stop pressuring me, Make me want to scream," Michael and Janet sang in the famously expensive, space-themed video.
Although Janet had multiple wardrobe changes in the Grammy-winning video, she wore a white, long-sleeve puckered shirt, designed by Dexter Wong, and an off-white bikini top, made of faux leather, during parts of it. (Look for it around the 3-minute mark below.) Julien's estimates that it will sell for $1,000 to $2,000.
(Photo: Julien's Auctions)
The "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" singer's 2003 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is estimated to fetch $50,000 to $70,000. The 12-cylinder engine is capable of reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds and topping out at 200 miles per hour. The interior is black and gray leather.
(Photo: Julien's Auctions)
(Photo: Julien's Auctions)
Richard Tyler designed this black coat with velvet lapels, one of the many looks Jackson wore for what was, surprisingly, her very first headlining concert tour. It kicked off about six months after her fourth album, officially titled Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, was released and songs like "Miss You Much" and "Black Cat" hit radio airwaves for the first time. But she actually wore this coat as she performed "Control" and "Nasty," which are both from her 1986 album Control. The estimated value for it is $4,000 to $6,000.
(Photo: Julien's Auctions)
Jackson was the recipient of the MTV Video Music Awards' highest honor, the Video Vanguard Award, in 1990 — the same year when the dance-inspiring music video for her song "Alright" was released. In it, she wears the black-and-white pinstripe jacket and a black felt hat, accented with a black-and-white ribbon, as she dances down a city street with a couple of cronies. By then, she had already released memorable videos including "The Pleasure Principle," "Rhythm Nation" and "Love Will Never Do," and this was yet another to add to the list.
(Photo: Julien's Auctions)
On her fifth album, Janet, released in 1993, Jackson had a softer image, and her video for the slower and sexy song "That's the Way Love Goes" drops elaborately choreographed dance numbers in favor of the songstress swaying while surrounded by friends (including an unknown Jennifer Lopez!) and her love interest in a dim apartment. She appears to wear one look, now estimated to sell for $1,000-$2,000, the entire time: a cropped black vest and black bell-bottomed pants, both suede and custom-made for her