A sleeveless velvet coat once owned by French actress and animal rights campaigner Brigitte Bardot, who died in December aged 91, is to be auctioned in Cheltenham with proceeds going to the Dogs in Distress dog rescue charity. Bardot rose to fame as a teenage model before becoming a screen icon, most notably in "And God Created Woman", and devoted her later years to animal welfare causes, making this sale a fitting tribute as well as a fundraising opportunity.

The black, full-length coat with a wool fringe was made for Bardot in the 1960s by designer Jean Bouquin, whose "hippie deluxe" style was closely tied to her bohemian Saint-Tropez look and also dressed stars such as Mick and Bianca Jagger, Jane Birkin and Natalie Wood. It is embroidered with butterflies and comes with signed photographs and a personal dedication from Bardot, with The Cotswold Auction Company predicting it will fetch more than £1,000 when bidding begins at 10:00 BST on Tuesday.