The iconic apron-covered blue gingham Dorothy dress donned by Judy Garland in 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" was sold for a whopping $1.56 million at an auction house in New York on Monday.

The blue-and-white outfit caught the interest of three competitive phone bidders and was expected to fetch between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The identity of the highest bidder is not known.

"The dress is one of only two complete Dorothy costumes in existence," Bonhams' Director of Entertainment Memorabilia Catherine Williamson said in a statement. "As we witnessed today in the Bonhams saleroom, the dress is considered a true and timeless icon of classic Hollywood."

Dorothy's dress was billed as "Comprising a blue and white gingham pinafore with a fitted bodice and a full skirt, two mother-of-pearl buttons on the front and two on the back, with a hook-and-eye closure at the back, bearing a bias label inscribed in script, 'Judy Garland,' and a short cream-colored cotton blouse with a high neck, pale blue rickrack trim at the cuffs and neck, hook-and-eye and snap closure at the back, reinforced shoulders, and a bias label inscribed, 'Judy Garland / 4461,'" according to Bonhams auction house.

The outfit, which was sold to the highest bidder for $480,000 in 2012, was among the 400 items of movie memorabilia that were sold in the auction orgnanized in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies. Other auction items included Steve McQueen's iconic racing suit from Le Mans and original scripts from "Casablanca," according to CNN.

Last year, the Cowardly Lion costume from "Wizard of Oz" fetched $3 million at Bonhams auction house in New York, as HNGN previously reported.

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