Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse Dresses up for Auction

Dresses worn by singers Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse form part of a vast array of music memorabilia that have been put on display ahead of an auction at Julien's in Los Angeles.

The auction will include 42 items in total belonging to Houston, who died on 11 February. They include the multicoloured velvet jumpsuit from her 1991 world tour, the jewellery she wore at the 2001 academy awards, and the earrings worn in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, in which she starred opposite Kevin Costner.

Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's, spoke of the enduring interest in the singer's personal items.

"Yes, there's a huge interest already in the Whitney Houston items and we sold some of her dresses in auction back in March, our Hollywood Legends auction, and they were upwards in the region of $20,000. Of course, (that was) very soon after she passed away in February, so the emotions were raw but we think that she is highly collectible."

Though the starting price for each individual dress is $2,000, they are expected to fetch much more than that. At a previous auction in March of Houston's items at Julien's, a beaded bustier sold for $18,750.

Also on sale is the robe worn by Amy Winehouse in the famous Rehab music video. The Princess Tam & Tim robe carries an estimated price of between $15,000-$17,000.

The strangest item on sale will be a lock of hair from Elvis Presley. Nolan said that the lock, kept by Elvis's personal hairdresser, is expected to be one of the bestselling items.

"We've sold vials of hair from Elvis in the past for in the region of $14-15,000," said Nolan.

Other personal items up for grabs include John Lennon's signed registration card for his Rolls Royce, Keith Richard's famous 'hell' T-shirt from the 1981 Rolling Stones tour, and a Vera Thordardottir gown worn by Lady Gaga while performing at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball in 2010. The auction will take place on 24 June in Beverly Hills.