Princess Diana's most expensive dress, worn in the 1980s, was sold at Julien's Auctions on Sunday for a record-breaking $1.148 million.
The black velvet gown was sold 11 times its estimated price as part of its year-end, four-day Hollywood Legends event in Los Angeles.
Princess Diana's 'Most Expensive' Dress
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 28: Gowns owned by Princess Diana are displayed during a media preview of ‘Legends: Hollywood & Royalty’ at Julien's Auctions on August 28, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. The upcoming three-day auction will feature 1,400 garments, wardrobe items and other collectibles from Princess Diana, Star Wars, Star Trek, and other classic films and cultural icons.
The auction had listed the dress with a low estimate of US$100,000. After a fierce battle of 19 bids, the dress was sold for a final price of US$1.148 million.
The price was almost double the US$604,800 fetched by the sale of Princess's 1991 velvet gown by Victor Edelstein in January, which held the previous record for her most expensive dress. The gown also became the most costly piece of Diana's clothing that was sold after her famous black sheep jumper was bought in September for a record US$1.143 million.
"This sale confirms that Diana is not only a Royal legend but now an auction legend whose reign changed the world," Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien's Auctions, said.
The New York Historical Society sold the gown, and all profits will return to the museum. Nolan said that the buyer was a private individual who planned to display the dress and other items in an exhibit in the future.
The Moroccan-British fashion designer Jacques Azagury created the ballerina-length evening gown and incorporated fabrics from the renowned Swiss textile manufacturer Jakob Schlaepfer. The design of the gown was typical 1980s design, featuring the dress with shoulder pads, long sleeves, a black velvet bodice with embroidered stars in metallic thread, and a two-tier royal blue organza skirt with a sash and bow.
The dress was a nod to Diana's love of dance and her being a patron of The English National Ballet. In June 1997, the dress was first sold at auction, just two months before the Princess's death. The dress became an item in a charity sale titled 'Dresses From the Collection of Diana, Princess of Wales by Christie's' in New York.
The dress was purchased for US$26,450 by Time Inc. and was donated to the New York Historical Society in 2015. Diana initially wore the dress in Florence, Italy, while on a royal tour with her husband, Prince Charles, in 1985. She wore it again a year later in Vancouver, Canada, when she and the Prince were present to open the Expo '86 World's Fair.
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Princess Diana's Items
The second-highest price at Sunday's auction was also Diana's piece. The blush pink chiffon blouse she wore in her 1981 engagement portrait was sold for US$381,000 and was created by the British designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel.
The crepe blouse has a ruff-like collar and loose pleats to the front. Royal photographer Lord Snowdon famously captured the blouse in the February 1981 issue of Vogue.
The auction was held in partnership with Turner Classic Movies, and the Hollywood Legends sale netted more than US$7 million overall, marking the most successful Hollywood memorabilia auction in the Los Angeles-based auction house's 20-year history. More than 1,100 lots were sold, with 16,351 registered bids worldwide.
The sale began last Thursday, and highlights included an original mechanical animatronic E.T. head, which sold for US$635,000, and the original Model B-9 ("The Robot") from the 1960s series Lost In Space, which brought in US$455,000.
Day two was headlined by the sales of Bruce Lee's screen-used nunchaku from the 1972 film Fist of Fury (US$162,500) and a "Proteus" submarine model from the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage (US$158,750).
On the third day, they sold more than 250 items, including original hand-drawn storyboards and screen-used wardrobe pieces, and netted a total of US$799,943. Jeff Bridges' items worn as 'The Dude' earned the highest prices, as a shirt and robe sold for US$169,000, and a pair of sunglasses fetched US$88,900.
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