Princess Diana’s iconic “revenge dress” is set to go under the hammer for the first time in nearly three decades, with the famous black gown expected to fetch as much as $300,000.
The late Princess of Wales wore the figure-hugging evening dress, designed by Greek fashion designer Christina Stambolian, on June 29, 1994, when she attended a party at the Serpentine Gallery in London.
The occasion came on the same day her then-husband, now-King Charles III, publicly admitted during an ITN documentary that he had been unfaithful.
The programme was watched by about 13 million people across the United Kingdom.
Diana’s decision to appear in the daring black dress, which exposed her shoulders, was widely seen as a bold fashion statement.
She completed the outfit with black heels, a clutch, red nails and a jeweled choker fashioned from an antique diamond and sapphire brooch gifted to her by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
“Fashion can be a language when words fail or are simply not enough. Princess Diana understood that instinctively,” said Morgane Halimi, head of handbags and fashion at Sotheby’s, in a statement.
“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made, during one of the most scrutinised and emotionally charged episodes of her life,” Halimi added.
The dress had remained in Diana’s wardrobe for three years before she decided to wear it, with Stambolian previously saying she had initially considered the design “too daring.”
At the time, black was traditionally associated with mourning and was generally considered appropriate for members of the British royal family at funerals.
The gown was last sold in June 1997, when Diana auctioned 79 of her dresses to raise money for breast cancer and AIDS charities.
The anonymous buyer later displayed it at charity fundraising events in Scotland before it was eventually exhibited at Paisley Museum.
Diana’s stylist, Anna Harvey, said the princess “wanted to look a million dollars” when she stepped out in the dress. Its value could potentially exceed Sotheby’s estimate, given that other pieces from Diana’s wardrobe have sold for significantly more in recent years.
“What became a global viral moment – long before social media made the term mundane – also gave license to anyone, but especially women, to use fashion beyond adornment and much more intentionally and meaningfully: as a shield, a weapon or both,” Halimi said.
“What has endured across the decades is not the scandal surrounding that evening, but Princess Diana’s show of confidence and self-possession,” Halimi added.
The dress will be unveiled at Sotheby’s in London on September 18 and displayed there until September 24.
It will then travel to Hong Kong from October 1 to 15, Geneva from November 6 to 11, before being exhibited in New York from December 2 ahead of the December 9 auction.
Some proceeds from the sale will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity.
The gown will also be accompanied by a rare catalogue from Diana’s original 1997 auction, signed by the late princess and Stambolian.
