The late Princess Diana’s famous “revenge dress”, which she wore on the same night Prince Charles confessed to cheating on him, is up for auction.
The then Princess of Wales turned heads when she arrived at the Serpentine, one of London’s most famous art galleries, on a warm June evening in 1994, wearing a body-hugging dress. Vanity gallery– Hosting a fundraising dinner.
Within minutes, a wall of photographers transmitted her silk-laden silhouette to the world, and the look quickly became a generational statement. After more than three decades, she is back in the spotlight.
Christina Stambolian’s black off-the-shoulder evening dress will go on sale for the first time in nearly 30 years on December 9.
The designer clothes, which Sotheby’s described as an “enduring symbol of confidence and self-possession”, are expected to sell for between $150,000 and $300,000 (£110,000 to £220,000).
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It will be unveiled and displayed at Sotheby’s auction hall in London starting September 18, Before further shows in Hong Kong, Geneva and New York.
Archive: Diana, Princess of Wales during a ceremony held at the Serpentine Gallery in London. On the same day that Charles admitted he had been unfaithful to Diana during a television interview, Diana appeared at the Serpentine Gallery in what was dubbed the Revenge Dress, a figure-hugging, low-shoulder little black outfit.
AP images/files
Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles – who admitted to cheating on TV on the evening of the fundraiser – had been separated for almost two years when she stepped out in an off-the-shoulder dress, featuring an asymmetrical hem and a sexy chiffon train.
News of his extramarital affairs had leaked days before the official announcement, so “Diana knew that anything she chose to do that evening, when the program was broadcast to millions, would inevitably carry meaning and be interpreted as a reaction,” Sotheby’s wrote.
Her stylist at the time, Anna Harvey, who helped her prepare for the evening, told the auction house: “The Princess had always considered the dress too bold to be worn in public, and it had remained unworn in her wardrobe for three years – but on that historic day, she decided the time was right.”
She added that Diana simply “wanted to look like a million dollars,” noting that the late princess initially chose to wear a more traditional Valentino dress.
The dress’s legacy has come to represent much more than just an influential fashion moment, says Morgan Halimi, global head of handbags and fashion at Sotheby’s.
“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever delivered, during one of the most scrutinized and emotionally charged episodes of her life,” she said.
“What became a global viral moment — long before social media normalized the term — also gave license to anyone, especially women, to use fashion beyond adornment and more intentionally and purposefully: as a shield, a weapon, or both,” she added.
“What has persisted over the decades is not the scandal surrounding that evening, but Princess Diana’s display of confidence and self-restraint.”
“She entered into a moment where so much of her story was told, and through what she chose to wear, she reclaimed the narrative for herself,” she added.
The last time the dress was sold was in June 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses at an auction to raise money for cancer and AIDS charities.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the dress later this year will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary.
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