Ursula Andress iconic Dr. No bikini could fetch $500K at auction

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Ursula Andress iconic Dr. No bikini could fetch $500K at auction

Well now, the glamorous swimsuit worn by actress Ursula Andress in the very first James Bond movie is going under the hammer. 

• The white bikini featured in one of the most iconic scenes in the 1962 movie, when Andress’ character Honey Ryder emerged from the ocean
• In the years since the movie’s release, the moment – which saw Andress wearing a knife at her waist and carrying a seashell – has been parodied numerous times
• Dr. No was the first James Bond movie ever made and starred Sean Connery in the lead role
• Andress, now 84, was catapulted to fame after appearing in the movie – and has previously credited the bikini with ‘making her a success’ 
• The two-piece bathing suit was previously auctioned off for $45,000 in 2001, when it was purchased by Planet Hollywood co-founder Robert Earl
• Remember when the statuesque Bond girl Honey Ryder emerged from the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini?
• Andress, now 84, stole hearts the world over when she made her debut in the 1962 movie wearing the famous two-piece, becoming an instant pin-up from the moment her character, beachcomber Honey Ryder, emerged dripping from the ocean in the swimsuit.   

The beach scene from 1962's "Dr. No" among the franchise's most iconic, LA auction house Profiles in History is estimating that the bikini will sell for between $300,000 (£235,441) and $500,000 (382,742) at next month's sale.

With a wide, brass-buckled belt and a scabbard to hold a large knife, the outfit helped Andress make cinematic history and shape (quite literally) the concept of a modern-day femme fatale.

The Swiss-born actress' character Ryder, a shell diver, was the original Bond girl -- 007's attractive female sidekick and "love" interest -- who paved the way for a multitude of women playing variations of the exact same role in almost every Bond movie thereafter.

Andress broke with Hollywood traditions of the time by having a hand in her own wardrobe design. The actress worked with director Terence Young and costume designer Tessa Welborn to stitch together a practical action garment that would fit her like a glove while showing some attitude (the knife sheath).

"This bikini made me into a success," Andress is reported to have said in 2001, after rediscovering it in the attic of her home. Then aged 64, she auctioned it through Christie's in London, where it fetched over £41,000 (then about $60,000).

But its value to Andress' career was priceless. As well as earning her a Golden Globe, her turn in "Dr. No" gave her "the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent," she was quoted as saying in the auction catalog.

The ivory-colored swimsuit will go under the hammer in Los Angeles on Nov. 12-13, auctioneers Profiles in History said Wednesday.