Iconic ‘Star Wars’ Dress Set to Fetch Staggering Amount at Auction
When you think of princess dresses, do you think of poofy ball gowns and sparkles? I don’t. What comes to mind is a long white sheath with a silver belt. Princess Leia will always be my favorite “Disney” Princess. That is why the upcoming Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction excites me so much.
The three-day-long event, organized by Propstore, is auctioning off some of the most iconic memorabilia from movie history. Christian Beal’s Batpod Bike from Dark Knight Rises will be there. A Hogwarts uniform complete with glasses and robe worn by Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will also be up for grabs. The thing that took my breath away, though, was the iconic white dress worn by Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.
The buns may be what you think of first when you think of Princess Leia, but the ceremonial dress from A New Hope isn’t far behind. The Princess of Alderaan didn’t actually wear this dress for long. In fact, it was only one scene at the end when she gave Han, Luke, and Chewbacca medals of honor. Despite its short screen time, it has become legendary in Hollywood film history.
The auction will take place June 28-30, 2023, in Valencia, California. No small affair, this sale is set to feature over 1,400 pieces of movie prop history. The Star Wars dress, though, is one of the show-stoppers. If you were hoping to bid on the dress, I hope you’ve got deep pockets. The gown is expected to fetch around $2 million.
The dress has been “screen matched” for authenticity. This makes the dress even more valuable because bidders know they are bidding on the real thing. According to Pop Gallery, “Any artifact is, by definition, screen matched if it can be categorically matched to the one seen on the screen. This is achieved by matching up markings on the piece which are consistent with the one seen on screen, for example, any unique marks, damage, paint work or where wardrobe is concerned the pattern, cut or any staining to the costume.”
The collectors site went on to say that screen matching is “incredibly rare. In most cases, a piece that is likely used on screen cannot be matched. This can be for any number of reasons, one of the main issues, which is particularly relevant to older productions, is the quality of the film footage and lack of definition. Another common reason is that there is more than one of a particular piece on screen, and there is simply nothing to distinguish between them.”
I wish I were independently wealthy and could bid on this dress myself. What a thrill it would be to own such a legendary price of Star Wars history. We will be watching the auction closely to see if the dress, indeed, hits the $2 million mark.
