Hugh Hefner’s iconic velvet jacket expected to sell for over $3000

Hugh Hefner’s red velvet smoking jacket is expected to sell for over $3000 (£2350) at auction.

The Playboy Mansion owner’s jacket will go up for auction in March, alongside his infamous silk pyjamas, slippers and pipe.

They will be sold by Julien’s Auctions as part of an “icons” lot that features other pieces from Playboy, as well as Marilyn Monroe.

“Hugh Hefner’s personal style and lifestyle choices became trendsetting,” said the auction house. “This ensemble is not just a piece of history; it’s a slice of the Hef’s glamorous lifestyle that set new standards for luxury and leisure during the eras of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.”

The items are expected to be sold for anywhere between $2000 (£1560) and $3000 (£2350).

Hugh’s personal items are small fry compared to those of Marilyn Monroe’s. One of her gowns from the movie Seven Year Itch will be auctioned in the same lot and is expected to sell for around $200,000. (£156,000)

Hugh died in 2017, aged 91, inside his famed LA mansion. His autopsy revealed he died of E. coli and septicemia.

His widow, Crystal Hefner, is set to release a book about her time in the Playboy Mansion on 23 January, called Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself.

Now 37, she was married to Hugh between 2012 and 2017. It's believed the book will reveal the “toxic objectification and misogyny” she experienced inside the Playboy Mansion.