The iconic gold bikini-style costume that Carrie Fisher wore as Princess Leia while making Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars franchise has sold for $175,000 (around €160,000), according to Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.
The costume was made famous when Fisher wore it at the start of the 1983 film when Leia was captured by Jabba the Hutt at his palace on Tatooine and forced to be a slave.
Designed by the late Richard Miller, the chief sculptor for Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas, the seven-piece ensemble features a bikini brassiere, bikini plates, hip rings, an armlet, and a bracelet.
Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president, said the costume that was sold was one that was screen tested and worn by Fisher on the movie’s set but ultimately did not make it onto the final version of the film as it was switched out for one that was more comfortable.
Maddalena said he wasn’t surprised by the attention bidders gave to the costume as well as to a model of a Y-wing fighter that took on the Death Star in the original Star Wars film that sold for $1.55 million (€1.43 million).
“The power of ‘Star Wars’ proves itself again. These movies are just so impactful,” Maddalena said.
Controversy behind the costume
The golden bikini costume has become somewhat controversial over time, with some fans viewing it as a means to sexualise Fisher for the predominantly male fan base of the Star Wars series.
In a November 2016 interview with NPR's "Fresh Air," Fisher said wearing the costume was not her choice: “When (director George Lucas) showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made me very nervous. I had to sit very straight because I couldn’t have lines on my sides, like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight."
Richard Miller, who created the costume, said in an interview that’s included in a Star Wars box set that he used soft material to build the costume so that Fisher could move around more freely.
“However, she still didn’t like it. I don’t blame her," said Miller, who was the chief sculptor for Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas. "I did put leather on the back of it to help it feel better."
In “Interview” magazine in 2015, Fisher told actor Daisy Ridley, who starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens: “You’re going to have people have fantasies about you. That will make you uncomfortable, I’m guessing.” She pushed back against the idea of being a sex symbol and told Ridley to “fight for your outfit.”
Just last month, an extremely rare Star Wars action figure became the world's most valuable toy. The ultra-rare, hand-painted, 3 and 3/4-inch, rocket-packing Boba Fett figurine fetched $525,000 (approx. €482,000) at auction.
It is one of only two known to have survived the production line in the 1970s. The model was created by toy company Kenner in 1979 based on the character, who was set to appear in The Empire Strikes Back.
The sale price was more than double another Boba Fett toy that sold for $236,000 (approx. €217,000) in 2022. The price tag also surpassed the $302,000 (approx. €277,000) price set in 2010 for a special Barbie doll that came with a 1-carat diamond, Heritage said in a press release.
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