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Ferris Bueller’s Iconic Sweater Vest Fetches $279,400 at Auction

Matthew Broderick’s character from the Hollywood mega-hit wore the costume while playing hooky in June 1985.

By Alexandria Sillo
People cheering at a sports event in a stadium, wearing colorful clothing, with blue sky and a chain-link fence in the background.
The sweater featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's

A signature item from the Hollywood classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off just sold for $279,400 at Sotheby’s, proving the 40-year-old film has yet to go out of style. A total of 11 bids came in for the sweater vest worn by Matthew Broderick’s character, Ferris Bueller, as he bounces around Chicago on a June day in 1985 with his best friend and girlfriend while playing hooky.

The vest was the genius of costume designer Marilyn Vance, who had little variety to work with for the character’s persona, as Bueller does not have any wardrobe changes in the comedy. “Few items in film history carry the instant recognition and cultural weight of Ferris Bueller’s sweater vest,” says Ralph DeLuca, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman of Popular Culture. “It’s more than just a costume—it’s a piece of 1980s Americana that embodies a character, a decade, and a universal sense of youthful rebellion.”

Knitted sleeveless vest with black and beige geometric patterns and black trim on a white background.
Ferris Bueller’s sweater vest. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s
Sleeveless sweater with a black and brown geometric pattern on a white background, showing the back view.
Ferris Bueller’s sweater vest. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Vance also collaborated with writer-director John Hughes on two other mega-hits, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. “As Sotheby’s launches its newly dedicated Popular Culture department, offering this vest at auction marks a fitting start—an item that reflects the spirit of a beloved film and connects with audiences across generations,” says DeLuca.

The vest was offered by Sotheby’s as part of the “Leisure Rules” collection, which also featured a baseball ticket and screen-used baseball from the scene where Bueller catches a foul ball at Wrigley Field.