The “revenge dress” worn by the late Princess Diana in 1994 is up for auction at Sotheby’s for the first time in nearly three decades.The black silk evening dress by Greek designer Christina Stambolian is estimated to fetch as much as £220,000 (US$298,110) when it goes on sale on December 9 during Sotheby’s Luxury Week in New York, the auction house said on Thursday.Princess Diana wore the black silk dress designed by Christina Stamboulian to a party given at the Serpentine Gallery in London on June 29, 1994. Photo: AP PhotoDiana wore the dress in June 1994 as she arrived at the Serpentine Gallery in London for a fundraising dinner.It gained notoriety because the then Prince Charles – from whom she had been separated for nearly two years but not yet divorced – was widely expected to say in a national television interview broadcast that same evening that he had been unfaithful to her.According to a later documentary, her decision to wear the dress was a last-minute one after initially setting aside a more traditional Valentino outfit. “She wanted to look a million dollars,” her former stylist Anna Harvey said on the programme, according to Vogue. “And she did.”Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien’s Auctions, showcases a Catherine Walker skirt suit worn by Princess Diana and a Murray Arbeid midnight blue strapless tulle Diamante Star gown in Hong Kong in April 2024. Photo: Eugene LeeStambolian’s off-the-shoulder dress features an asymmetric hemline and chiffon train.
Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ up for auction for first time in decades
The off-shoulder black silk evening dress by Christina Stambolian could fetch close to US$300,000 when it goes under the hammer in New York.
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