CNN
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A golden bikini costume worn by Carrie Fisher on the set of “Return of the Jedi” has bought at public sale for $175,000.
The seven-piece outfit, which additionally contains hip rings, an armlet and a bracelet, went to an unidentified bidder throughout a two-day sale that includes over 500 gadgets of Hollywood paraphernalia.
Worn by Princess Leia after she is captured by Jabba the Hutt and compelled into slavery, the costume has grow to be a cult favourite amongst “Star Wars” followers. Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which hosted the sale, described it as being “among the many most memorable” outfits within the franchise’s historical past.
However the costume has additionally attracted criticism for sexualizing Fisher and her character. In 2016, the late actor described her discomfort at being “practically bare,” telling NPR: “It wasn’t my selection. When (director George Lucas) confirmed me the outfit, I believed he was kidding and it made me very nervous.”
Primarily based on sketches by costume designer Nilo Rodis-Jamero, the outfit was created by jeweler and sculptor Richard Miller utilizing resin and urethane. In a behind-the-scenes documentary, Miller later mentioned that the costume’s “skimpy” look had been meant for example how Fisher’s character had grown via the course of the unique trilogy.
“George (Lucas) mentioned, ‘We need to present that Princess Leia is rising up,’” recalled Miller, who died in 2022 aged 80. “The three episodes spanned a sure period of time, so she obtained mature. And that’s why the slave costume was launched.”
Miller recalled that Fisher “didn’t like” the bikini, which he attributed to it becoming poorly. He had designed the garment utilizing a model forged from Fisher’s physique, however when it got here to capturing the film “she will need to have misplaced 10 kilos if no more,” he mentioned, including: “So the costume actually held on her.”
The 2-day Heritage Auctions sale, which concluded Friday, fetched a mixed $5.9 million. The public sale’s different big-ticket merchandise was one other piece of “Star Wars” historical past: a screen-used mannequin of the Y-wing that leads an assault on the Demise Star earlier than being destroyed by Darth Vader in 1977’s “A New Hope.”
The work of modelmaker Colin Cantwell, the starfighter bought for $1.55 million to grow to be the third-most costly screen-used “Star Wars” prop ever to go underneath the hammer, in line with Heritage Auctions. (The present document is held by an X-wing mannequin, which sold for $3.1 million final October, whereas an R2-D2 unit fetched $2.75 million in 2017.)
Associated video: Bear in mind when Princess Leia wore this coiffure?
Elsewhere, an unique “Scrooge McDuck” paintings bought for over $312,000 and the Oscar statuette awarded to Celeste Holm in 1974 for her Finest Supporting Actress efficiency in “Gentleman’s Settlement” fetched $93,750. A wand prop utilized by Daniel Radcliffe in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in the meantime bought for practically $94,000, with a hammer from “Thor: The Darkish World” and a sword from “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” additionally attaining five-figure sums.
“I’ve mentioned it repeatedly: Collectors’ want to personal a chunk of Hollywood historical past stays intense and insatiable, and we take nice pleasure and pleasure in sharing these indelible moments,” mentioned Heritage Public sale’s govt vice chairman, Joe Maddalena, in a press launch following the sale’s conclusion.