Britney Spears won’t be ripping off her flesh-colored pants ever again.
Nor will she don her green bra-and-miniskirt snake-trainer ensemble – and not just because wearing the same outfit in public is a celeb fashion faux pas. No, the singer is selling her clothes to the highest bidder in the name of charity, she announced Thursday (May 22).
“They’re kind of iconic or whatever,” Spears said, “but it’s not like I’m going to be wearing them anytime soon. And although I’m kind of sad about some of the pieces going, I know that the money we raise will have a huge payback.”
Taking a break from her recording schedule, the pop star cleaned out her closet, clearing out some 160 pieces of costumes and other memorabilia for an auction that kicked off Thursday, benefiting the Britney Spears Foundation, which funds a weeklong performance-arts camp for kids.
“Financially, we didn’t have that much at one point, but I could go to singing and dancing lessons,” Spears said. “But there’s some kids who don’t have that. I just know that when I was younger I needed to express myself. It was like a spiritual, healing thing. And as far as camp goes, it’s just a time for kids to go and just be creative and express themselves. I think that’s important.”
Visitors to www.gottahaveit.com have a shot at acquiring not just a selection of more than 50 of Spears’ video, film and stage costumes (snake not included), but they can also bid on signed posters, photography and items from her childhood.
“There was one thing I made for my grandmother, a picture frame,” she said, “and it was kind of special, but I did so many things for her. So when I saw it, I was like, ‘Should I? Should I? OK, I’ll do it.’ ”
The more premium packages, however, are “personal experiences” with the star, which include meeting her on the set of a video shoot, attending the Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts, and getting tickets and backstage passes for her upcoming tour. “They get to go to the show, they get to go to the camp, they get to do a bunch of cool stuff,” she said.
The auction runs through June 3.