In episode 4 of theBBC ’s 1995Pride and Prejudiceminiseries , Colin Firth’sMr . Darcystrips down to his snowy shirt for a speedy swimming in the lake on his acres , Pemberley . Which means he ’s underdressed and soaking wet when he by chance run into Elizabeth Bennet ( Jennifer Ehle ) on his path back up to the house .

This so - call “ Lake Scene , ” which is n’t in the originalJane Austen novel , has become so iconic that you do n’t need to be a serial re - spectator of the show to recognize it . Other worker have also gotten to put their own whirl on the here and now , includingJonathan Baileyin Netflix’sBridgertonandBenedict Cumberbatchfor a 2015Vanity Fairphotoshoot .

But if you are a serial re - watcher , this news will probably excite you more than most : The very shirt that Firth donned for the scene is currentlyup for auctionvia Invaluable , with the opening bid set at £ 5500 ( about $ 6970 ) . Not only will the purchaser get to own the thigh - length white linen shirt , complete with a recording label that actually articulate “ WET SHIRT , ” but also the residuum of Firth ’s costume from the vista : the muslin cravat , moleskin pants , stripy velvet waistcoat , gray wool tailcoat , and dark and chocolate-brown charge . It even comes with a signed pic of Firth .

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (1995).

accord to costume designer Dinah Collin , the “ sloshed shirt moment ” was n’t in the playscript — Firth was originallymeant to be nudefor the view , but that would ’ve been prohibitively unfitting for a BBC broadcast at the time . Also , Firth himself neverswam in the lake : The filmmakers were worried he ’d view a disease from the dirty pee , so they had a stuntman do the nosedive . John Rupert Firth filmed his underwater footage in a water armoured combat vehicle at a London studio apartment .

All behind - the - scenes secrets away , the auction is a once - in - a - life chance for one luckyPride and Prejudicesuper fan to take their fandom to the next level . you may place your dictation onlinehere ; the live auction will take spot on March 5 at 1 p.m. EST .

And if Matthew Macfadyen ’s white shirt from Mr. Darcy ’s first light stroll in Joe Wright ’s 2005Pride and Prejudiceever goes on sale , we ’ll let you have sex .

colin firth’s white shirt from ‘pride and prejudice’ lake scene on a mannequin

colin firth’s costume with tailcoat from bbc’s pride and prejudice lake scene