Heritage Auctions July Entertainment Auction took place yesterday, and there were some big ticket items going under the hammer. Two iconic pieces from the original trilogy caught all the attention, with a filming miniature of Gold Leaders Y-Wing from A New Hope (one of only two hero Y-Wings built for the film) selling for an incredible $1.55 million and along with it one of the most memorable pieces of wardrobe to be worn by anyone, ever in a motion picture; the gold bikini worn by Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi.
Another highlight of the collection was a Princess Leia gold bikini costume from Jabba the Hutt’s scenes in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” which sold for $175,000. The ensemble includes seven pieces from Industrial Light & Magic chief sculptor Richard Miller’s collection–a bikini brassiere, bikini plates, hip rings, an armlet and bracelet.
The Y-Wing that sold on Friday is one of just two “hero” (meaning that it was used in close ups) Y-Wing filming miniatures built by the ILM visual effects team. According to the Heritage Auction description, the basic design came from Colin Cantwell. It was based on a rough description from George Lucas. “Lucas felt the need to create distinct shapes so that the audience could immediately tell whether a ship was a ‘good guy’ or ‘a bad guy,’” it reads.
Here’s the description from the auction site.
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.
