Cleopatra cape to go under hammer

MUMBAI: The golden cape that was worn by Elizabeth Taylor in two major sequences from the 1963 film Cleopatra is to go up for auction.

Bidding for the intricate garment, made from leather and gold, is set to start at $10,000 when it goes under the hammer at Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions on May 30, it is understood.

But the bidding could soar way beyond that, reaching into the hundreds of thousands, it is being rumoured.

The leather and gold garment, designed to look like the wings of a Pheonix, were worn in the two most memorable scenes in the blockbuster movie.

The costume, designed to look like the wings of a phoenix, has been designed using thin strips of gold leather and embellished with thousands of seed beads, bugle beads and bead-anchored sequins.

The cape will be up for auction alongside the wig worn by Taylor in the same film.