I wasn’t expecting that Mr Bond! My fluffy bathrobe has made twice as much as my bikini
IT IS hardly as revealing as her notorious white bikini.
But the bathrobe worn by Ursula Andress in Dr No has shown that less isn’t always more, fetching a staggering £87,500 (€100,000) at auction – twice the £41,125 (€47,000) made by the two-piece in 2001.
The pale blue wraparound was worn by fan-favourite Bond girl Honey Ryder as she wooed Sean Connery’s 007 in the 1962 film.
Yet, unlike the beachwear – which Ms Andress sold after rediscovering it in her attic – the actress never owned the bathrobe. It belonged to Rank Films’ wardrobe assistant Maggie Lewin, who was working on another production when the Bond crew asked to borrow it.
After filming was completed, the garment was returned to Ms Lewin who later – realising its significance following Ms Andress’s fame – decided to sell it on.
But now, the most recent owner has pocketed a near-six-figure sum after putting it up for sale at the Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in London.
In the film, Ryder and Bond were captured and taken to a hidden base owned by Dr No’s eponymous criminal mastermind, before being given blue robes.
They were later rendered unconscious with drugged coffee.
It was Ms Andress’s breakthrough role as the first-ever Bond girl and the famed bikini scene – which many prize as the most famous swimsuit sequence in film history – saw the actress play a shell-diver mesmerisingly appearing from the sea, equipped with a knife.
Swiss-German Ms Andress, now 87, said the part gave her financial independence and changed her life.
Commenting on how the bikini was more substantial than the flimsy string ones women have worn since, she said: ‘It’s a mystery. All I did was wear this bikini in Dr No – not even a small one.’