Celebrity designer Nikki Lund has accused singer Paula Abdul of failing to return a unique metallic bustier worth an estimated $15,000, DailyMailTV can reveal – and is now planning to sue her in a bid to get it back.
The handmade piece disappeared from Lund’s showroom four years ago and was not seen again until Abdul was seen wearing it in a promotional photo for her upcoming tour, according to the designer.
Lund, 35, says there is no doubt that the bustier is the same one she made and told DailyMailTV she has asked Abdul or her stylist to return the piece.
Photos of the garment seen by DailyMailTV would appear to confirm Lund’s story, as the bustier worn by Abdul looks identical to the one created by the designer.
Nikki Lund has accused singer Paula Abdul of failing to return a unique metallic bustier worth an estimated $15,000. The handmade piece disappeared from Lund’s showroom four years ago and was not seen until Abdul wore it in a publicity photo for her upcoming tour
Lund, 35, says there is no doubt that the bustier is the same one she made and told DailyMailTV she has asked Abdul or her stylist to return the piece. Photos of the garment would appear to confirm Lund’s story, as the bustier worn by Abdul looks identical to the one created by Lund
Lund (pictured with Cindy Crawford in April) says the garment is one of a kind and could not be replicated without the use of master beaders and weavers, and requires a process that takes at least five days to complete
Lund, a childhood best friend of Kim Kardashian (pictured together in their early teens), made the bustier eight years ago
But after getting no response from the singer, 56, Lund says she now has no choice but to sue the ’80s icon for the return of her item.
‘I don’t know how she came to have it, I’m not saying she stole it or her stylist stole it or anything,’ Lund said in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV.
‘I would just like to get it back – it’s obviously my piece.’
Abdul’s representative declined to comment on the bustier when approached by DailyMailTV, except to note that the publicity photo was taken two years ago.
Lund’s lawyer Stephanie Ovadia told DailyMailTV: ‘I was retained to see the return of the property after she attempted to contact Paula to no avail.
‘We are currently in the process of contacting Ms Abdul for the swift return of the property.’
Lund, a childhood best friend of Kim Kardashian, made the bustier eight years ago and says creating it took her five days.
She told DailyMailTV the piece has sentimental value because her grandmother helped her to create it.
‘My grandmother helped me make it,’ Lund said. ‘She sat with me for a few hours and I had a deadline to get it done and she actually weaved some pieces on for me to help me. It’s a very important piece to me.’
The design, which was created from a mixture of silver metallic thread and chiffon, was hand-sewn and was later worn by celebrities, among them Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears and singer Roselyn Sanchez (pictured)
But after getting no response from the singer, 56, Lund says she now has no choice but to sue the 80s icon for the return of her item
Lund (pictured with Kim Kardashian in their younger years) said: ‘I don’t know why it would be so hard for them to give it back to the rightful owner. It is important to me. I just want it back’
The design, which was created from a mixture of silver metallic thread and chiffon, was hand-sewn and was later worn by celebrities, among them Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears.
Lund says the garment is one of a kind and could not be replicated without the use of master beaders and weavers, and requires a process that takes at least five days to complete.
She says the garment disappeared from her showroom four years ago and assumed it had been taken by accident which is why she never reported the missing item to police.
Lund said: ‘I didn’t report it to the police and the reason why we didn’t is because I figured at the time, it would have been returned, it would have come back.
‘To be honest, what are the police going to do with a bustier gone missing? They don’t take something like that as seriously.
‘I figured that through friends and through time, I would eventually get the bustier back. I always honestly thought I would get the bustier back.’
Lund says she does not want to make an enemy of Abdul but is now hoping to have the piece returned without further problems
But despite her hopes, the garment was not seen again until the release of Abdul’s publicity photos, which Lund saw for the first time over the weekend.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ she told DailyMailTV. ‘I felt two things – I felt elated and I felt excited I could possibly get my piece back again.
‘But I also felt a little angry because it reminded me that somebody had obtained that piece dishonestly and that doesn’t mean that Paula Abdul did, it doesn’t mean that her stylist did, it means that somebody took that piece and it ended up in her hands and I just hope she does the right thing and gets it back to me.’
Lund says she does not want to make an enemy of Abdul but is now hoping to have the piece returned without further problems.
Lund added: ‘She’s a singer, she understands the idea of creating artwork, she doesn’t want anyone stealing from her so I’m sure she understands why I would like it to be returned to me’
‘I remember, it was literally like losing a child losing this piece because I put so much time and energy into it,’ the mother-of-one said.
‘Really what I would like is just to get my bustier back – that would be amazing. If the stylist who did this [the Abdul shoot] could get it back to me.
‘Maybe they borrowed it from someone or they have it in their kit and they don’t know how they have it in their kit or Paula Abdul happens to have it in her closet.
‘I don’t know why it would be so hard for them to give it back to the rightful owner. It is important to me. I just want it back.
‘This is my legacy I’m leaving – I think it’s a big accomplishment to have a piece like this. It is a big deal to me because it could end up in a museum one day – how do you know [that it won’t]? It’s a representation of work I did.’
She added: ‘I just don’t understand. She’s a singer, she understands the idea of creating artwork, she doesn’t want anyone stealing from her so I’m sure she understands why I would like it to be returned to me.’