Keira Knightley’s unforgettable green ‘Atonement’ dress is going up for sale

Almost two decades after Keira Knightley bewitched audiences in the 2007 film, “Atonement,” the emerald-green silk dress she wore in a pivotal scene is coming up for auction. Thanks to its enduring allure, the backless gown designed by Jacqueline Durran is expected to sell for up to £120,000 ($161,000) when it goes under the hammer at Christie’s in London on December 9. Knightley’s character, Cecilia, wore the dress in a climactic scene in Joe Wright’s adaptation of Ian McEwan’s tragic romance novel. During the scene, Cecilia makes love with the housekeeper’s son Robbie (played by James McAvoy) in the grand home library after weeks of romantic tension, and they confess their feelings for one another. “When we started making the movie, we all knew it was a pivotal moment, and it had to be a memorable dress,” Durran told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published in 2017.