She was a beloved American bombshell who took the world by storm during Hollywood’s golden years.
And now the late actress Raquel Welch’s wardrobe has achieved star status of its own, fetching well over a million dollars at a recent auction.
A necklace worn by the action heroine fetched $195,000 (£156,000) at auction in Los Angeles last week – 195 times its original asking price of $1,000 (£800).
The iconic turquoise and silver piece was worn by Ms. Welch during a critically acclaimed photo shoot with famed photographer Terry O’Neill and was worn at the premiere of her film ‘Myra Breckinridge’ in 1970.
The late actress Raquel Welch, depicted in the 1966 caveman comedy “One Million Years BC,” wearing a faux fur bikini. A faux fur-style bikini inspired by her costume sold for $13,000 (£10,000)
Raquel poses in a bikini with red, white and blue stars for her 1970 film ‘Myra Breckinridge’ (left) and plays Lilian Lust in Bedazzled in 1967 (right)
The auction of Ms Welch’s personal items also included a faux fur-style bikini, inspired by her costume from the 1966 caveman comedy ‘One Million Years BC’, which sold for $13,000 (£10,000).
It was this role as the scantily clad caveman in the comedy that catapulted Ms. Welch to stardom and cemented her status as an international sex symbol.
Nearly 500 of the late Hollywood star’s items were sold last Friday, including a two-piece bikini worn in the 1967 comedy ‘Bedazzled’ that sold for $22,750 (£18,000), and her 1975 Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Comedy, which raised $26,000 (£21,000).
Mrs. Welch died in February 2023 at the age of 82 at her home in Los Angeles after a short illness.
A necklace worn by the action heroine fetched $195,000 (£156,000) at auction
Her 1975 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy grossed $26,000 (£21,000)
The star-spangled red, white and blue sequin swimsuit sold for $5,850 (£4,700)