Star Wars: Princess Leia’s Return of the Jedi Bikini Is Going up for Auction
The latest piece of Star Wars memorabilia going on auction is Princess Leia's iconic bikini from Return of the Jedi.
One lucky Star Wars fans may soon be able to own Princess Leia's iconic bikini from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Heritage Auctions has posted a new listing for the "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (TCF, 1983), Carrie Fisher 'Princess Leia' Production Made Bikini Costume from Richard Miller." It is indeed one of the costumes used in the Return of the Jedi production, and the bidding is set to begin at $30,000.
Carrie Fisher cemented herself as both a movie star with her appearance as Leia in the first act of Return of the Jedi. The opening of the Star Wars original trilogy threequel saw Leia, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) come together to infiltrate the palace of notorious gangster Jabba the Hut and save his captive, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). The plan hits a serious snag early on when Leia (disguised as a bounty hunter) fails to intimidate Jabba into releasing Han. Instead, Leia is exposed and gets taken prisoner by Jabba, who immediately turns her into his personal pet, complete with a chain around her neck and the now-iconic bikini. Leia got the last laugh, of course: when the final showdown came, Leia used her chains to strangle fat slug Jabba to death.
Princess Leia's bikini remains one of the most iconic pieces of movie memorabilia around – so how much would you pay to own it? Find out details of the auction. below.
Per auction description, "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (TCF, 1983), Carrie Fisher 'Princess Leia' Production-Made Bikini Costume from Richard Miller. Without question, Carrie Fisher's 'Slave Leia' costume is among the most memorable in the Star Wars franchise. This iconic 7-piece costume ensemble includes (1) bikini brassiere, (2) bikini plates (front and back), (2) hip rings, (1) armlet, and (1) bracelet, created by ILM Chief Sculptor, Richard Miller. This costume is comprised of resin and urethane production pieces from the sculptor's collection."
"Based on designs by Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Miller created a wire armature on a mannequin created from Carrie Fisher's body cast, then sculpted the details using jewelers' techniques with wax. With the wax sculpts, he produced test castings in resin and finally in red-colored urethane. The bikini brassiere is the early version crafted of rigid resin and is production-used, as evidenced by eye hook on-set repair and glue residue on the interior surface from attempts to add material to make it more comfortable for Fisher. The textile elements, including brown faux-suede lining and skirt veils, are recreated for display, as well as the leather cording and wig. Miller can be seen discussing the creation of Leia's bikini in the documentary on YouTube entitled 'Behind the Scenes of Star Wars the Original Trilogy ILM Special Effects Makers' (timestamp approx. 49:55 – 52:04). Ensemble exhibits age and production wear with hardening of urethane on armlet and bracelet. Comes with a signed LOA from Lorne Peterson, ILM veteran of 33 years, who hired Richard Miller to create Leia's slave costume. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions."
