She was a beloved American bombshell who took the world by storm during the golden years of Hollywood.
And now the late actress Raquel Welch’s costumes have gained star power of their own, fetching more than $1 million (£870,000) at a recent auction.
A necklace worn by the action heroine sold for $195,000 (£156,000) at an auction in Los Angeles last week, 195 times its original asking price of $1,000 (£800).
The iconic piece of turquoise and silver jewelery was worn by Ms Welch during an 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 photographed in the 1966 caveman comedy “One Million Years BC” wearing a faux fur bikini.
Raquel posing in a red, white and blue bikini for her film ‘Myra Breckinridge’ in 1970 (left) and playing Lilian Lust in Bedazzled in 1967 (right)
Pictured: A faux fur-style bikini inspired by her costume in the 1966 caveman comedy ‘One Million Years BC’, which sold for $13,000 (£10,000).
The auction of Ms Welch’s personal items also included a faux fur-style bikini inspired by her costume in the 1966 caveman comedy ‘One Million Years BC’, which sold for $13,000 (£10,000).
It was this scantily clad cavewoman role in the comedy that catapulted Welch to stardom and solidified her status as an international sex symbol.
Almost 500 items owned by the late Hollywood star were sold last Friday, including a two-piece bikini worn in the 1967 comedy ‘Bedazzled’, which sold for $22,750 (£18,000) and her Golden Globe award from 1975 for Best Comedy Actress, which sold for $26,000 (£21,000).
Welch died in February 2023 at the age of 82 at his home in Los Angeles after a brief illness.
