Natalie Portman's vintage Christian Dior Oscar gown has sold for $50,000.

The Academy Award-winning actress borrowed the 1954, US size 4, strapless, polka-dot dress from couture dealer Rare Vintage to wear as she presented the Best Actor accolade to 'The Artist' star Jean Dujardin at the ceremony in Los Angeles last month and the company has now sold it on to an unknown British buyer.

Speaking to the website 1stdibs.com which arranged the sale, Rare Vintage owner Juliana Carione said: "Natalie wore a dress that she fell in love with. It was the perfect dress on the perfect girl. I think it was also a great tribute to the modernity and timelessness of vintage fashion."

According to the New York Post newspaper, the British buyer is a London-based couture collector.

Although Natalie only chose the dress at the last minute, her stylist Kate Young previously revealed it was a perfect fit and needed no alterations.

She said: "Natalie's dress is amazing. It's an actual 1954 spring couture dress, from Rare Vintage on 57th street in New York. We borrowed it - it's $50,000! She was actually going to wear another dress but then I got a call from the woman at Rare Vintage and she was like, 'You should see this dress for Natalie.' So we went and she put it on, and it needed zero alterations, and Natalie was like, 'This was meant to be, wasn't it?' And I said, 'I guess it was.'"