HOUSTON (AP) 鈥� The gold bikini-style costume that wore as Princess Leia while making 鈥淩eturn of the Jedi" in the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� franchise has sold for $175,000, according to the auction house that handled the sale.
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.
The costume, one of the most memorable in the 鈥� 鈥� movies, was sold on Friday by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.
Joe Maddalena, Heritage鈥檚 executive vice president, said the costume that was sold was one that was screen tested and worn by Fisher on the movie鈥檚 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.
The auction house said the costume sparked a bidding war among collectors.
Maddalena said he wasn鈥檛 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 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� film that sold for $1.55 million. He said 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� and 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� have very avid fan bases.
鈥淭he power of 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� proves itself again. These movies are just so impactful,鈥� Maddalena said.
In a November 2016 interview with Fisher said wearing the costume was not her choice.
鈥淲hen (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鈥檛 have lines on my sides, like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight,鈥� said Fisher, who died about a month after the interview.
Richard Miller, who created the costume, said that鈥檚 included in a 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� box set that he used soft material to build the costume so that Fisher could move around more freely.
鈥淗owever, she still didn鈥檛 like it. I don鈥檛 blame her," said Miller, who was the chief sculptor for Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� creator George Lucas. "I did put leather on the back of it to help it feel better."
The costume had its share of critics, who thought it sexualized Fisher for the franchise鈥檚 male fan base.
In 鈥淚nterview鈥� magazine in 2015, Fisher told actor Daisy Ridley, who starred in 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥� 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have people have fantasies about you. That will make you uncomfortable, I鈥檓 guessing.鈥� She pushed back against the idea of being a sex symbol and told Ridley to 鈥渇ight for your outfit.鈥�
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Juan A. Lozano, The Associated Press
