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Those who've ever dreamt of dressing like an authentic 

 princess might find they have a little "New Hope":  A gown worn by Princess Leia (played by the late actress Carrie Fisher) in the first film of the blockbuster space saga is up for sale at this week's Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction. 

But it comes with no small price tag. The gown is expected to fetch 

The costume is believed to be the only surviving Princess Leia look from the film that launched a cultural phenomenon. 

The slim-fitting silk gown features in the final scene of A New Hope 

The slim-fitting silk gown features in the final scene of 

, in which Princess Leia presents medals of honor to the newly minted heroes of the rebel alliance, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

The gown is featured in the final scene of Star Wars IV: A New Hope

The white gown serves as the focal point of the mise-en-scène. It's even the last object visible as the final shot transitions to the director's credit, in the movie equivalent of what'd be a final bow on stage.

"The dress is a real relic. It's an absolute piece of film history," said Brandon Alinger, the chief operating officer of Propstore, the company behind Wednesday's auction. 

"When Star Wars fans see it, they stop in their tracks, they gasp a bit at the sight of it, because they recognize the significance of it," Alinger said.

The tone-setting dress helped its designer, John Mollo, win the Oscar for best costume design at 

the 50th annual Academy Awards in March 1978. 

Referred to as Princess Leia's ceremonial gown, the floor-sweeping frock is made of slim-fitting silk and adorned with a single silver-plated belt. 

It's in the senator's signature color (white), but, notably, features a scooped neckline and empire waist, which leave it less conservative than the hooded, roomy garments Leia wears for most of the franchise. 

(That excludes the gold bikini get-up, trademarked as "Slave Leia," that'd come to define her later character transformation. The fact that 

 underscores the significance of the ceremonial gown.)  

, which may be why the costume team made just one single version of the ceremonial gown for filming and photos. 

Those involved with the film thought that the piece had been destroyed alongside the original sets — until word got out that it was intact, collecting dust in a London attic. 

The dress, long thought to be gone, was swiped from the set and stored in an attic

A crew member had swiped the dress from the burn pile, according to Alinger. 

"It was 10 or 12 years ago that we first became aware of the piece," he added. "It was such a moment when we first learned of this and then, ultimately, when the Star Wars fandom learned that this piece still existed." 

Professional textile conservators conducted a "meticulous, museum-caliber" restoration of the garment, according to its auction description. It took a total of eight months for teams to remove the dust that had accumulated on the gown and patch tiny holes that'd appeared in the fabric's fragile areas. 

The hem and seams were restitched and restored with the highest archival standards — which ultimately means, the auction catalog implies, you could let the seams out if Fisher's dimensions don't match you perfectly. 

But there's a decent chance the piece is destined for a display collection and not for personal wear, given the prices. 

Bidding, which is expected to end on Wednesday evening, opened at $500,000 and had already reached $750,000 in a special preview window as of 11 a.m. ET. 

If your tastes match the dress, but not the price, there's always 

, available in adult sizes, for a relative bargain: $129.99.   

Arts and Culture

Emily Olson

Author

Film crews though the gown, worn by Carrie Fisher's character, had been destroyed after the production wrapped. Now it's up for sale alongside 1,400 other items at a Hollywood auction. 

An original Princess Leia dress found in an attic could be yours — for as much as $2M

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