‘Star Wars’ Princess Leia Dress Goes Unsold at Auction
Seller might try to auction gown again after bids didn’t come in high enough
2 min
A long, white medieval-style gown worn by Princess Leia in the final scene of 1977’s “Star Wars” failed to sell at auction after bids didn’t come in high enough.
Propstore, the company that ran the auction, said it had hoped the dress would get offers for at least $1 million.
“While the Princess Leia dress received an enormous amount of attention prior to the auction, it failed to meet its reserve price yesterday and therefore remains unsold,” a spokesperson for Propstore said Thursday.
Buyers can make private offers for the gown, and Propstore may try to auction it again, the spokesperson said.
A growing market for Hollywood collectibles has helped generate revenue for movie studios. Propstore is one of just a few companies specialising in the sale of film and TV props.
Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia, wore the dress during the final scene of the movie, where she bestows medals on Mark Hamill’s character Luke Skywalker and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo.
John Mollo, who won an Academy Award for costume design in 1978 for his work on the film, created the Princess Leia dress. It is the only Princess Leia costume from the original “Star Wars” film that is known to still exist, according to Propstore.
The Princess Leia gown was stored for years in a London attic, where it was eaten away by moths. Propstore verified the authenticity of the dress by matching it with stills from the film. The key identifiers were the stitching, unique wrinkles and folds in the leather belt and scratches on the belt plate, Propstore said.
After the dress was found in the attic, professional textile conservators restored the gown. It was cleaned by hand over an eight-month period to remove the years of dust and dirt that accumulated. Small holes were filled, the hem was restored and open seams were restitched.
While the Princess Leia dress didn’t sell Wednesday, other Star Wars memorabilia did. A hand-painted illustration from the production of the original film sold for $175,000, and a lightsaber from the 2005 film “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” sold for $118,750.
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The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.
The megamansion was built for Tony Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and brother of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.
2 minThe boom in casual footware ushered in by the pandemic has ended, a potential problem for companies such as Adidas that benefited from the shift to less formal clothing, Bank of America says.
The casual footwear business has been on the ropes since mid-2023 as people began returning to office.
Analyst Thierry Cota wrote that while most downcycles have lasted one to two years over the past two decades or so, the current one is different.
It “shows no sign of abating” and there is “no turning point in sight,” he said.
Adidas and Nike alone account for almost 60% of revenue in the casual footwear industry, Cota estimated, so the sector’s slower growth could be especially painful for them as opposed to brands that have a stronger performance-shoe segment. Adidas may just have it worse than Nike.
Cota downgraded Adidas stock to Underperform from Buy on Tuesday and slashed his target for the stock price to €160 (about $187) from €213. He doesn’t have a rating for Nike stock.
Shares of Adidas listed on the German stock exchange fell 4.5% Tuesday to €162.25. Nike stock was down 1.2%.
Adidas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cota sees trouble for Adidas both in the short and long term.
Adidas’ lifestyle segment, which includes the Gazelles and Sambas brands, has been one of the company’s fastest-growing business, but there are signs growth is waning.
Lifestyle sales increased at a 10% annual pace in Adidas’ third quarter, down from 13% in the second quarter.
The analyst now predicts Adidas’ organic sales will grow by a 5% annual rate starting in 2027, down from his prior forecast of 7.5%.
The slower revenue growth will likewise weigh on profitability, Cota said, predicting that margins on earnings before interest and taxes will decline back toward the company’s long-term average after several quarters of outperforming. That could result in a cut to earnings per share.
Adidas stock had a rough 2025. Shares shed 33% in the past 12 months, weighed down by investor concerns over how tariffs, slowing demand, and increased competition would affect revenue growth.
Nike stock fell 9% throughout the period, reflecting both the company’s struggles with demand and optimism over a turnaround plan CEO Elliott Hill rolled out in late 2024.
Investors’ confidence has faded following Nike’s December earnings report, which suggested that a sustained recovery is still several quarters away. Just how many remains anyone’s guess.
But if Adidas’ challenges continue, as Cota believes they will, it could open up some space for Nike to claw back any market share it lost to its rival.
Investors should keep in mind, however, that the field has grown increasingly crowded in the past five years. Upstarts such as On Holding and Hoka also present a formidable challenge to the sector’s legacy brands.
Shares of On and Deckers Outdoor , Hoka’s parent company, fell 11% and 48%, respectively, in 2025, but analysts are upbeat about both companies’ fundamentals as the new year begins.
The battle of the sneakers is just getting started.
Here’s how they are looking at artificial intelligence, interest rates and economic pressures.
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