How Not to Sell Ashley Olsen’s Prom Dress Online

The pink, allegedly Marc Jacobs dress that a seller is claiming Ashley Olsen wore to prom. (Photo: eBay)

We all know that when you’re shopping on eBay, it’s important to be extra cautious and diligent about spending your money, especially when it comes to the authenticity of the items up for sale. “Do your research” is a mantra we often hear when it comes to shopping on the site — but it seems like one particular seller was hoping that shoppers would do the opposite.

A listing posted by brigodemaisondecouture advertises a ruffled pink Marc Jacobs dress for $110 that was allegedly worn by Ashley Olsen to her high school prom. “Own a bit of history,” the listing reads. “Ashley Olsen’s dress from high school, worn once.” The poster details how she got her hands on such a relic, saying, “It belonged to Ashley Olsen who at the time went to school with my daughter. I have been saving it all these years.”

The listing on eBay. (Photo: eBay)

Naturally, the listing title alone was enough to spark some skepticism in us. The listing does not include a single photo of Ashley wearing the dress, which would have been helpful in confirming the garment’s authenticity. Then, we had to wonder: How on earth did this woman get a hold of Olsen’s prom dress in the first place? A prom dress is something your average teenage girl probably isn’t giving away to a fellow classmate — but maybe Ashley is a charitable lass. Also, why keep the dress for 12 years instead of selling it in 2004, when the Olsens were tabloid darlings? But perhaps the most glaring issue is the fact that the Olsen twins famously skipped their prom to host Saturday Night Live. There was an entire bit dedicated to it, in which Will Forte and Jimmy Fallon took the twins to prom. But maybe the sisters went to other proms before 2004?

A scene from the Olsen twins’ prom-themed SNL skit in 2004. (Photo: Getty Images)

We started to wonder if the dress was even designed by Marc Jacobs. Given the year of the twins’ prom, we figured the look would have been included in the label’s spring 2004 collection. While the dress does look right at home in what Jacobs put forth that season, we didn’t see the exact look on the runway — but that’s not an entirely uncommon occurrence in the world of fashion. We searched other collections from around that time and didn’t find anything that looked similar.

We contacted Marc Jacobs to confirm if the dress was indeed theirs and if Olsen wore it, but the company told us that it did not have that information. We reached out to The Row to see if it could substantiate the authenticity of the dress, but the Olsens’ brand declined to comment. We also attempted to reach the seller on eBay, but besides a few basic answers regarding shipping, item details, and returns, we were completely barred from sending the seller a message. We were told that the seller was “not able” to respond to our questions — or at least questions that were outside the run-of-the-mill details we mentioned above. It seems quite suspect that the seller would not allow users to directly message inquiries about a product.

Here’s what happened when we tried to contact the eBay seller.

Brigodemaisondecouture sells a selection of what appear to be vintage clothes, handbags, and jewelry. Among the items listed are a Lanvin jacket and an Oscar de la Renta shrug.

We’ve gotta say, it all seems more than a little fishy. Obviously, claiming that Olsen wore the piece is smart if you’re looking for a selling point, but with so little evidence that she wore it, why even bother putting her name on the listing? Advertise it as a vintage prom dress from the aughts or at least give us tangible proof of the dress’s origins. But even with the piece’s questionable roots, at the very least, it’s still cute today — a feat for much of what we wore a decade ago.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.