Just over a year ago, Gwyneth Paltrow was feeling unsettled. She had lost a storage unit full of belongings in a fire, sold her Los Angeles home, and was preparing to move. “I was sitting with one of my great old friends, Rashida Jones, and I said to her, ‘I have all this great stuff that doesn’t go anywhere. I wish I could just have a huge garage sale,'” Paltrow tells Vogue. “‘Well, why don’t you call this place Julien’s?’ Jones suggested. ‘I was like, Is that totally random?'” Paltrow says, laughing.

In the end, Paltrow took her friend’s advice, enlisting the auction house to help find new homes for pieces from her ’90s Oscar era through her Goop days, with proceeds benefiting World Central Kitchen. The NGO’s mission to provide fresh meals in disaster zones is a cause close to Paltrow’s heart. “I express love through food. I think my dad taught me that. One of the many ways he expressed his love towards my brother and me was cooking us meals,” she says. “José Andrés is an old friend of mine, and I just admire that mission so much. It’s such an immediate way to show care, love, nourishment, dignity—and it’s apolitical. I wish there were more people in the world like him who put their money where their mouth was and showed up.”

When deciding what to send to Julien’s, Paltrow found some items surprisingly hard to part with. “There was a Baby Taylor guitar that Tim McGraw and I had made for the whole cast and crew when we finished Country Strong,” she says. “I was like, oh, this is sad to go, but someone’s going to be more excited about having this than I am.”

She looked for pieces that represented different phases of her life and career. Among the auction items are Ralph Lauren’s sketches of the iconic bubblegum-pink dress Paltrow wore to the 1999 Oscars, where she won for Shakespeare in Love, and a John Galliano-era Dior dress (worn on the runway by Gisele Bündchen) that she wore to the LVMH Tower opening that same year. The ombré Atelier Versace evening gown she wore to the 2010 Country Music Awards represents her musical era, she says, citing Glee and Country Strong. Marvel fans may recognize the custom silver Armani short suit she wore to the Iron Man 2 premiere.

“The thing that really appealed to me about it is that I think things have energy,” Paltrow says. “It’s nice for those things to live on. It’s nice for things to gain value through different provenances and owners.”

A bit of backstory not in the catalog? Paltrow points to a gray Atelier Versace tunic and cropped pants, which she wore to the 28th Annual Vision Awards in 2001. “I wore that also to the Clinton White House for—God, for something,” she says. “I have a picture of me in that outfit holding a cigarette outside at the White House.”

Paltrow’s belongings will be auctioned at the Peninsula Beverly Hills on March 24 and 25, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Gwyneth Paltrows Personal Wardrobe Auction

General Beginner Questions

1 What is Gwyneth Paltrow auctioning off
She is auctioning a curated selection of clothing and accessories from her personal wardrobe including designer pieces from Versace and Dior as well as the iconic pink Ralph Lauren gown she wore to the 1999 Oscars

2 Why is she doing this
Paltrow has stated she is cleaning out her closet and wants these cherished pieces to find new homes where they will be loved and worn again Proceeds from the auction will benefit her charitable foundation goop

3 Where and when is the auction happening
The auction is being hosted online by the luxury resale platform The RealReal It launched on September 25 2024 and will run for a limited time

4 Can anyone bid on these items
Yes the auction is open to the public You need to create a account on The RealReals website or app to place bids

5 What is the most famous item in the auction
The standout piece is the pink Ralph Lauren column gown she wore when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love in 1999

Item Condition Questions

6 What kind of condition are the items in
All items are described as vintage or preowned and have been authenticated and inspected by The RealReal They are sold as is with detailed condition reports and photos provided for each listing

7 Are the sizes typical modern sizes
Many items especially the vintage pieces may have older sizing labels or may fit differently than contemporary clothing The listings include detailed measurements which are more important to check than the labeled size

8 What other designers are included besides Versace and Dior
The collection also features pieces from brands like Ralph Lauren Chanel Saint Laurent and The Row spanning several decades of her style

Bidding Purchase Questions

9 How do I bid on an item
On The RealReals auction page for the collection you can place a bid by entering an amount