The case of Lupita Nyong’o’s stolen Calvin Klein Oscars’ dress is certainly bizarre, but it isn’t the only crazy fashion caper to make news. Here, some of the most notorious style crimes committed in recent years.
Lupita, You're Not Alone!
Photo: Getty Images
Antwerp Diamond Heist
One of the biggest jewel heists on record occurred in February 2003 when more than $100 million of jewelry and loose diamonds were stolen from the gem district in Antwerp, Belgium. A partially eaten sandwich found near the crime scene was tested for DNA and led to the arrest of the crime's ring leader. The valuables were never recovered.
Stephen Webster White Gold, Sapphire and Diamond Necklace, $6600
Marilyn Monroe's Jewels
It seems everyone always wants a piece of Marilyn, including the two thieves who nabbed two pieces of the screen siren's jewelry from a museum exhibit in London in April 2003. The items—a diamond-and-gold ring and a gold bangle—were valued at $64,000. One of the thieves was eventually arrested.
Photo: Getty Images
Anna Sui's Samples
Samples from Anna Sui's spring 2006 collection—the designer's only set—were stolen whilst being loaded into a truck bound for a trade show in New York City in 2005. The truck had been forced to park in an unsecured location because filming for The Devil Wears Prada was blocking its usual parking spot.
Anna Sui, Spring 2006. Photo: Style.com
Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane
In 2008 Alexander McQueen's London offices were broken into just months after thieves broke into Christopher Kane's studio. In both situations, laptops and samples were stolen. The thieves were never apprehended.
Alexander McQueen, Fall 2008. Photo: Style.com
Victoria Beckham's Dresses
In 2009 Victoria Beckham's eponymous collection was just one year old—and already popular enough to become the target of armed burglars. In the much-publicized attack, knife-wielding thieves made off with over $500,000 worth of dresses destined for Neiman Marcus after ambushing the delivery truck. The dresses were never recovered.
Victoria Beckham, Spring 2009. Photos: Getty Images
Marc Jacobs' Samples
Just days before a scheduled press showing in November of 2011, a bag containing $65,000 worth of samples from Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 was stolen from a courier van outside the label's store in London's tony Mayfair neighborhood. Luckily, the samples were duplicates, and no one was hurt.
Marc Jacobs, Spring 2012. Photo: Style.com.
Cannes Jewelry Heist
In 2013 a gun-wielding robber escaped with jewelry worth $136 million from the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. In an ironic twist, the hotel was also the setting of Hitchcock's classic 1955 jewelry-heist film To Catch a Thief and had been the scene of yet another real-life jewelry heist in 1994.
To Catch a Thief. Photo: VanityFair.it
The Selfie Perp
In 2014 a 27-year-old Illinois woman was busted for shoplifting a neon leopard-print dress from a southern Illinois boutique after posting a picture of herself wearing the stolen frock on social media. "Love my new dress," her caption read. Bet she didn't love her time in the Franklin County Jail.
ChicNova Leopard Dress, $21
The Saks Schemers
Five former Saks Fifth Avenue employers were convicted of stealing $400,000 worth of store merchandise in 2014—including shoes and bags by Balmain, Celine, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Valentino—with the intent of selling the luxury items on the black market. The employees used customers' stolen credit cards to buy the designer goods.
Photo: WWD
Stolen Zumba Gear
$1.5 million worth of harem pants, leggings, footwear and other Zumba-branded activewear were nabbed from a truck on its way to a Zumba convention in Orlando in 2014. Though the brand offered a reward ($1,000 worth of Zumba clothing) to anyone with information leading to an arrest, the workout gear was never found. Maybe the reward wasn't enticing enough?
Photo: Vanessa Jackman
