The late Princess Diana‘s infamous “revenge dress,” which she wore the same night then-Prince Charles admitted to his infidelity, is going up for auction.
The then-Princess of Wales turned heads when she arrived at the Serpentine, one of London’s most celebrated art galleries, on a warm June evening in 1994, dressed in the figure-hugging gown for a Vanity Fair-hosted fundraising dinner.
Within minutes, a wall of photographers beamed her silk-laden silhouette to the world, and the look soon became a generational statement. More than three decades later, it’s back in the spotlight.
The black, off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian evening dress will go on sale for the first time in almost 30 years on December 9.
The designer garment, which auction house Sotheby’s described as “an enduring symbol of confidence and self-possession,” is expected to fetch an estimated $150,000–300,000 (£110,000–220,000).
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It will be unveiled and exhibited at Sotheby’s London starting on Sept. 18, before further displays in Hong Kong, Geneva and New York.
FILE: Diana, Princess of Wales during a party given at the Serpentine Gallery in London. The same day that Charles admitted he was unfaithful to Diana during a TV interview, Diana appeared at the Serpentine Gallery in what was dubbed her revenge dress, a figure-hugging, low-cut, off-the-shoulder little black outfit.
AP Photo/Files
Princess Diana and the then-Prince Charles — who would go on to admit to his infidelity on television on the evening of the fundraising event — had been separated for almost two years when she stepped out in the off-the-shoulder dress, boasting an asymmetric hemline and a dramatic chiffon train.
News of his extramarital relations was leaked days before the formal announcement, so “Diana knew that whatever she chose to do that evening, as the programme was aired to millions, would inevitably carry meaning and be interpreted as a response,” Sotheby’s writes.
“The princess had long considered the dress too daring to wear in public, and it had remained unworn in her wardrobe for three years – but on that historic day, she decided the time was right for it,” her stylist at the time, Anna Harvey, who had helped her get ready for the evening, told the auction house.
Diana simply “wanted to look a million dollars,” she said, noting that the late princess had initially opted to wear a more traditional Valentino gown.
Global head of handbags and fashion at Sotheby’s Morgane Halimi says the dress’s legacy has come to embody far more than a poignant fashion moment.
“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,” she said.
“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,” she continued.
“What has endured across the decades is not the scandal surrounding that evening, but Princess Diana’s show of confidence and self-possession.”
She added: “She walked into a moment in which so much of her story was being told for her and, through what she chose to wear, reclaimed the narrative for herself.”
The last time the dress was sold was in June 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses at auction to raise funds to benefit cancer and AIDS charities.
Part 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 Hospital.
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