Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: Making a multimillion-dollar bra

The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show aired Tuesday night, with millions tuning in to watch some of the world’s best bodies wrapped in over-the-top lingerie, including this year’s Royal Fantasy Bra.

Supermodel Candice Swanepoel walked the $10-million undergarment, which was adorned with 4,200 jewels set in 18-karat gold, down the runway to start the show.

The bejeweled brassiere, a staple in Victoria’s Secret fashion since 1996, have ranged in price from $1 million to $15 million and are often months in the making.

“You need something wearable that isn’t stiff so you can move in it. It’s quite a feat,” Danielle Daugsiewicz told The Times. Daugsiewicz is the marketing coordinator for Hearts on Fire, the jeweler behind the 2006 fantasy bra worth $6.5 million.

PHOTOS: Backstage at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

Hearts on Fire’s garment took more than 300 man-hours to design and fabricate, starting with polishing 2,000 diamonds that were held in place by prongs.

The balconette-style bra, inspired by voluptuous images of Marie Antoinette, underwent several computer-generated designs and prototypes “to make sure diamonds fit together well,” Daugsiewicz said. “It was really trial and error.”

Although the piece was a highlight of the 2006 fashion show, Daugsiewicz said the bra didn’t find a buyer, and it was returned to Hearts of Fire to be fashioned into other pieces.

“It was made of 2,000 diamonds,” she said. “We had to sell those puppies, so it was dismantled.”

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