2nd December, 2021
By Tayo Ogunbiyi
Since coming into the picture in 1914, bras have become a quintessential part of every woman’s wardrobe.
Universally, a bra is a place of rest for the breasts. It lifts and prevents the breasts from sagging, while also helping women to move around comfortably.
While sleeping with a bra is definitely not a good idea, not wearing one the entire day isn’t an option either. With all those movements, the extra weight of breasts can actually cause a lot of discomfort.
Like all items, a bra could be subjected to abuse, depending on who is wearing it. For instance, to some petty traders, a bra could be a temporary bank where money is kept and dispensed from time to time. Equally, some women have been caught concealing illicit drugs in the bra.
For the rich, however, a bra must come with a touch of class since that is the place where the point of attraction resides. To the classy woman, a bra symbolises power, influence and elegance. Hence, not just any kind of bra would do.
If what we are hearing about her high-class bras is true, former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke, is of the stock of women who prefer their bras urbane and exclusive.
Recently, it was alleged that the Federal Government announced that some valuable items belonging to the former Minister are slated for auction. They include property located in Banana Island Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, which include 18 flats and six penthouses located at Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista, Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, are up for auction.
Other are 125 pieces of wedding gowns, 13 pieces of small gowns, 41 pieces of waist trainers, 73 pieces of hard flower, 11 pieces of suit, 11 pieces of invisible bra, 73 pieces of veils, 30 pieces of braziers, two pieces of standing fan, 17 pieces of magic skits, six packets of blankets, one table blanket and 64 pairs of shoes.
One of the bras, called Heavenly Stars, made by Victoria Secrets in 2001, is reputed to be one of the most expensive bras in the world with 1,200 pink Sapphires and diamonds at the centre of the bra. Its auction price allegedly stands at $12.5m.
Yes, you heard right! That is the price.
I have been speaking with a few ladies to find out how much the very best bras truly cost. I have received a deluge of responses. But then, none of the answers I got was really good enough to satisfy my curiosity.
Why? None of them come near the $12.5m figure. Not even a fraction of it!
Could the government be lying about the true value of the bra? Or could it be that the women I enlisted in my enquiry aren’t classy enough to know the real worth of elegant bras?
Since we live in a digital information world, I went through the internet to search for the right cost of sophisticated bras. What did I find? Well, hold your breath. My findings were simply mind-blowing. There are bras and there are bras, but some are more elegant than others.
Yes, believe it or not, there are bras that actually cost a fortune-enough to get a whole community out of poverty forever.
My research shows that a certain Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines, once had bras that were worth much more. The bras were seized, together with other expensive items, by the Philippine government in 1986, after his husband, Ferdinand Marcos, was disgraced out of power. It was believed that she acquired them via stolen public funds.
Also, Garman and American model, Heidi Klum, once wore the Millennium Bra in 1999. It is a $10 million sapphire blue bra that was set with 2,000 starry diamonds.
Similarly, in 2000, Brazilian model, Gisele Bündchen, rocked the Red Hot Fantasy Bra, which cost $15 million. Bündchen’s bra and coordinating panties was the most expensive lingerie set ever, earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In 2001, Heidi Klum, wore her second Fantasy Bra, the Heavenly Star Bra, which at the time had a center diamond center worth $10.5 million.
In 2003, Heidi Klum wore the third Fantasy Bra that cost $11 million and took 370 hours to produce.
In 2004, American TV personality, Tyra Banks wore the Heavenly 70 Fantasy Bra worth $10 million.
Brazilian model, Adriana Lima, also wore the Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra that was worth $8 million in 2008.
It is, thus, certain that some bras do cost a fortune.
But then, what would a woman be doing with bras that expensive?
Again, out of sheer curiosity, I did some research via the internet and made a few discoveries.
One, the affluent have uncommon tastes. Believe it or not, the realm in which the truly wealthy folks operate unmistakably differs.
Second, being extremely rich comes with all manners of obsession. For some, the obsession could be wrist watches, while for others it could be automobiles, perfumes, shoes, diamonds etc.
Third, rich folks buy and keep expensive items as a form of investment. This is because like the price of properties, such items appreciate in value with time.
So, next time you think about that worthwhile investment that you really need to make, buying and keeping expensive bras could be it.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has denied that the anti-graft agency recovered a diamond bra worth $12.5 million when its operatives raided an apartment owned by the former petroleum minister.
Bawa refuted the reports when he recently appeared on TV Continental’s breakfast show, ‘Your View’.
He said: “There was nothing like a diamond bra. It is just the creation of social media. I can tell you that for free because I’m the lead investigator.
“I’m not aware of it. If there is something like that, I should know because I led the search.”
Well, Bawa has spoken. But trust Nigerians, some are already insinuating that it could be another case of going after the looter to ‘re-loot’ the loot.
Could it be that Diezani’s supposed Diamond bras have been re-looted?
-Ogunbiyi is Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Lagos.