Playboy India Bunny Costumes Revealed Ahead of Club Launch

Say "namaste" to the Playboy bunny.

In a first for Hugh Hefner's iconic brand, the Playboy bunny costume has been specially retailored for India ahead of the planned launch of the first Playboy Club in Goa early next year.

The costumes were previewed in Mumbai Wednesday by foreign models at a star-studded event which featured top celebrities including Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Imran Khan, among others.

“Playboy engaged New York-based fashion designer Mohini Tadikonda to re-style the iconic Bunny costume while preserving the core elements of the traditional costume. With a two-piece bodice and the addition of the sari and sheer skirt, the accessories for the Bunny costumes – ears, cuffs, collar, bow tie and the signature Bunny tail – stayed the same. This new costume is a celebration of India’s rich culture and the Americana of the classic Playboy Bunny Costume,” said a company statement.

STORY: Sherlyn Chopra Becomes First Indian to Pose for Playboy

“The goal was being respectful of Indian culture,” added Matthew Nordby, Playboy Enterprises Inc. senior executive VP and chief revenue officer.

The original Playboy Bunny costume was co-designed by Hefner in the 1960s.

“Revealing outfits are frowned upon in this country. If you watch Bollywood films, you will see women dressed in far sexier and in more revealing outfits,” Sanjay Gupta, CEO of Playboy's India licensee PB Lifestyle, was quoted stating. While the bunnies are all foreign to start with, Gupta added that “we are open to hiring Indian women too.” 

Earlier this year, Bollywood starlet Sherlyn Chopra became the first Indian to pose nude for Playboy.

In November, Playboy Enterprises announced its licensee pact with Mumbai-based PB Lifestyle, which has plans to open more than 120 Playboy formats covering a mix of retail outlets, clubs, hotels and fashion cafes over the next 10 years.

In addition, Playboy merchandise will also be a strong focus area for India given that products branded with the iconic bunny rabbit logo are sold in more than 25,000 stores in 180 countries. PB Lifestyle has earmarked an investment of $38 million (Rupees 2 billion) over the next five years to launch the Playboy brand across multiple formats. However, there are no plans yet of launching a Playboy magazine here.

View the original article here

Debbie Reynolds selling historic movie costumes

Actress Debbie Reynolds is interviewed at a preview of her vast Hollywood costume and prop collection in Beverly Hills June 6, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser

LOS ANGELES | Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:14pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If you ever wanted to relive the movie scene in which Marilyn Monroe's dress is blown upwards by a burst of air, you will get a chance on Saturday when her gown from "The Seven Year Itch" goes on auction.

Expect to fork over at least $1 million to $2 million for the ivory rayon-acetate halter dress with pleated skirt, one of about 500 wardrobe items being offloaded by actress and lifetime collector Debbie Reynolds at a Beverly Hills sale.

The so-called "subway grate" dress is the jewel in a collection that includes costumes previously worn by the likes of Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Julie Andrews and Madonna.

And Mike Myers. One of his shagadelic "Austin Powers" combos, a groovy blood-orange number, is on the block for a relatively modest estimate of $6,000 to $8,000.

Reynolds, 79, has been collecting costumes since her early days as a contract actress at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she spent her spare time in the wardrobe department watching the artisans create movie history with needles and thread.

When the cash-strapped Hollywood studios started selling off their movie props in the 1970s, Reynolds presciently scooped up the best items. She used her connections to buy many items before they went on auction.

The dream was to display the 3,000-odd costumes in a museum, but that never came to fruition. A planned project in Tennessee went bankrupt in 2009, and a heartbroken Reynolds was forced to sell her beloved collection to pay back creditors. Several sales are planned.

"As I turn these precious items over to the auction, my wish is that they will find homes where they will be revered and preserved along with their history," Reynolds said.

Among the items are nine dresses that Reynolds wore in such films as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," "How the West Was Won" and "Singin' in the Rain."

Prices for entertainment memorabilia have not been affected by the recession, so many of the estimates will likely be easily exceeded. Perhaps the real test of buyers' appetites will be what amounts to a heap of dirty rags: a tattered brown robe worn by Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes" is expected to fetch $8,000 to $12,000.

Also up for grabs at the Profiles in History sale are:

- Monroe's red-sequined dress from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" ($200,000 to $300,000);

- Hepburn's Cecil Beaton-designed Ascot dress from "My Fair Lady" ($200,000-$300,000);

- replicas of Judy Garland's blue cotton dress ($60,000-$80,000) and ruby slippers ($120,000-$150,000) used in test shots for "The Wizard of Oz";

- an elaborate coronation costume worn by Brando in "Napoleon Bonaparte" ($60,000-$80,000);

- the "Do-Re-Mi" dress worn by Andrews in "The Sound of Music" ($40,000-$60,000);

- Kelly's rose crepe outfit from "To Catch a Thief" ($30,000-$50,000);

- an ivory military suit worn by Claude Rains in his Oscar-nominated "Casablanca" role as Captain Louis Renault ($12,000-$15,000);

- Taylor's brown period dress from "Raintree County" ($10,000-$15,000);

- Madonna's black evening gown and shoes from "Evita" ($4,000-$6,000);

- Wood's real-life high-school graduation dress ($2,000-$3,000).

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Nichola Groom)

View the original article here