Princess Diana’s legendary black dress will return to the public eye in a historic Sotheby’s auction after remaining unseen for nearly three decades.
Few garments have managed to transform a deeply personal moment into a cultural event quite like Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’. Three decades after becoming a symbol of independence and confidence, the black design behind one of Lady Di’s most famous images is set to change hands once again.
Sotheby’s New York will auction the piece on 9 December as part of its Luxury Week, with an estimated value of between $150,000 and $300,000. It will be the first time the dress has appeared on the market since 1997, when Diana decided to part with a selection of pieces from her historic wardrobe to raise money for charity.
Before arriving in New York, the creation will embark on an international tour. Its first stop will be London on 18 September, before travelling to Hong Kong and Geneva.
Designed by Christina Stambolian, the black silk dress, with its off-the-shoulder neckline, daring décolletage, asymmetric hem and small train, entered fashion history on 29 June 1994. Diana chose to wear it to a gala at London’s Serpentine Gallery on an evening that proved particularly difficult in her personal life.
That same day, a television interview was broadcast in which the then Prince Charles publicly acknowledged his infidelity during their marriage. With the media’s attention firmly focused on her, Diana responded without saying a single word.
Her choice of outfit, however, was far from something that had been planned for months. The Princess had originally intended to wear a considerably more conservative Valentino design, but changed her mind at the last minute. Stambolian’s dress had been hanging unworn in her wardrobe for approximately three years because Diana had initially considered it “too daring”.
