Madonna's conical bras snapped up for £48,000

LONDON. December 2. KAZINFORM Two of the conical bra stage costumes that became synonymous with Madonna's onstage persona during the 1990s have been sold for almost £50,000 at Christie's in London.

A private bidder paid £32,450 for a couture corset with conical cups, beaded fringe and candy striped embroidery of opalescent sequins, which was designed by Jean Paul Gaultier and worn by the singer during her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. Before it went under the hammer, the piece had been valued at between £10,000 and £15,000. The same buyer then snapped up a two-piece outfit comprising a black satin bustier with top-stitched conical cups for £16,250, according to The Guardian.

At the same Pop Culture auction, a 12-plait kangaroo-hide bullwhip used by Harrison Ford in an Indiana Jones film was sold to an online buyer for £20,000. A painting by Gustaf Tenggren for the 1940 Walt Disney movie Pinocchio sold for £43,250, and a bamboo cane wielded by Charlie Chaplin went for £6,875.

Supplies of pop and film memorabilia are said to have declined in recent years as studios have become aware of their commercial potential, boosting the rarity value of items that do make their way onto the market.