Princess Diana’s revenge dress has gone on public display in London ahead of its first auction in nearly 30 years, with experts saying the striking black gown showed the late royal taking control of her own story.
The figure-hugging silk dress, designed by Christina Stambolian, was unveiled in Mayfair before being displayed at Sotheby’s in London until September 24. It will be offered for sale in New York on December 9, with expectations that it could fetch more than £220,000.
Diana wore the off-the-shoulder gown to a gala at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994, on the same evening that her then husband, Prince Charles, publicly acknowledged his infidelity in a televised interview.
She was aware the revelation was coming, and chose an outfit that broke with traditional expectations of royal dress through its black colour, plunging neckline and above-the-knee hemline.
Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion, said Diana had used clothing to reclaim the narrative surrounding her.
“She always used fashion as a way of expression, but this time [it] was a way to communicate her personal expression of herself,” Ms Halimi said.
“The way she felt on that day is that, ‘I’m taking back the story and I’m here and I stand for myself’.”
Images of Diana wearing the dress with a sapphire necklace, black shoes and bright red nail polish were seen around the world. The following day, one tabloid described the outfit on its front page as: “Revenge is chic”.
The dress is being auctioned for the first time since 1997, when Diana sold it and other garments to raise money for Aids charities. It has a presale estimate of between $150,000 and $300,000, although Sotheby’s experts believe it could exceed that range.
“I personally believe that this dress is the most powerful item linked to Diana,” Ms Halimi said, adding that its history and “universal message” could appeal to institutions as well as private collectors.
Diana later acknowledged her own affair in an interview and famously said there were “three of us in this marriage”, referring to Camilla Parker-Bowles, now Queen Camilla. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, a year before Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris at the age of 36.
The dress will travel to Hong Kong and Geneva after its London exhibition, before being sold in New York.
