Ursula Andress is the enduring swimwear model. There is no modern day equivalent who can quite match up to that timeless scene in James Bond’s Dr. No – when she emerges from the water in the iconic two-piece as Honey Ryder. That ivory-coloured bikini could now be yours with an auction in Los Angeles upcoming on 12 November, where the set is estimated to sell for up to $500,000 according to auctioneers Profiles in History.
Andress, who is now 84, captured the world’s attention when she made her Bond debut in 1962 – starring alongside Sean Connery – when she emerged from the ocean accusing Mr Bond of combing the beach for shells. The scene has been copied and parodied innumerable times since.
Swiss Andress, who was a relatively unknown actress at the time, has previously credited the bikini for being her launchpad to success. As reported in the Mail she said: ‘My entrance in the film wearing the bikini on that beautiful beach seems to now be regarded as a classical moment in cinema, and made me world famous as The Bond Girl.’ Similarly, the bikini achieved equal notoriety, becoming arguably the most famous swimsuit in the world.
It is not the first time that the bikini has gone under the hammer, having first been sold at auction by Andress herself in London in 2001, when it was won by Planet Hollywood co-founder Robert Earl for a comparatively small $45,000.
Other lots at the auction will include Roger Moore's monogrammed pyjama ensemble from Live and Let Die, which is estimated to sell for up to $15,000, the gray signature jacket worn by villain Ernst Blofeld in Diamonds are Forever, which is thought to be worth between $20,000 and $30,000, and Jane Seymour's emerald psychic cape and headdress from Live and Let Die, which experts predict could fetch between $60,000 and $80,000.
Items from the Bond franchise are very rare, especially the further you go back in time. Profiles in History’s head of acquisitions, Brian Chanes, expects bids to be placed from around the world. The auction will take place online and in Los Angeles over 12-13 November, despite the next instalment of Bond, No Time to Die, being pushed back to an April release date.
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