A dress worn by Judy Garland in the movie The Wizard of Oz has sold for $2.17 million at auction in New York.

The blue-and-white gingham dress was among the top items in the Bonham’s and Turner Classic Movies Hollywood memorabilia auction.

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The dress has survived for seven decades. Photo: AAP

Described as bearing sweat stains around the neck but in good condition, the dress had been expected to sell between $1.1 million and $1.7 million.

“It is one of only two complete Dorothy costumes in existence,” said Catherine Williamson, Bonham’s director of entertainment memorabilia.

“The dress is considered a true and timeless icon of classic Hollywood.”

The sale price, nearly triple the price the dress sold for in 2012, includes commission. The buyer was not identified.

Garland, one of the best-loved actresses of the Hollywood Golden Age, starred in the beloved 1939 film as a teenager.

The movie won two Oscars, for best song and best music, and remains a much-loved family classic more than 70 years later.

The Cowardly Lion costume worn by actor Bert Lahr in the movie sold for almost $4.3 million at a Bonham’s auction in 2014.

The most expensive item of movie memorabilia clothing was Marilyn Monroe’s ivory pleated Subway dress from the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch, which sold at auction in California in 2011 for $7.77 million.