The dress dubbed Princess Diana’s “revenge dress” is once again in the spotlight after Sotheby’s announced it will go up for auction.
Diana wore the dress on June 29, 1004, the day then-Prince Charles publicly admitted to having an affair, The Associated Press reported. Diana and Charles were estranged. She knew he would disclose the affair in an interview that day and wore the dress, which the AP described as “figure-hugging, off-the-shoulder silk dress by Greek designer Christina Stambolian” for a London gala.
The dress went on display at Sotheby’s last week in London. The auction house’s global head of handbags and fashion, Morgane Halimi, said the princess chose the “beautiful and powerful outfit” to control her story.
“She always used fashion as a way of expression, but this time (it) was a way to communicate her personal expression of herself,” Halimi explained. “The way she felt on that day is that, ‘I’m taking back the story and I’m here and I stand for myself.’”
The outfit, complete with a sapphire necklace, black pumps and red nail polish, was a moment. The Sun headlined, “Revenge is chic.”
The next year, Diana admitted to her own affair, but said that her marriage with Charles had “three of us,” referring to now-Queen Camilla.
Charles and Diana officially divorced in 1996. Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997.
The display and sale come at the same time that Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, accused in his book that Charles was “giddily elated” in the aftermath of Diana’s death, Reuters noted.
“Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time,” Spencer wrote.
Buckingham Palace, in a rare response, said Spencer’s memory has been affected by the loss of his sister nearly 30 years ago.
Diana auctioned the “revenge dress” and other items for AIDS charities in 1997.
“I personally believe that this dress is the most powerful item linked to Diana,” Halimi said.
“The Diana provenance always attracts collectors,” she said. “But the story of this dress and the universal message that it brings will definitely attract also institutions as well as private collectors who are looking for unique pieces and one-of-a kind items.”
This is only the second time the dress is being auctioned and is expected to get between $150,000 and $300,000, but is likely to get more when it is sold in December. It will be on display in London until Thursday, then will be sent to Hong Kong and Geneva before it is sold in New York, the AP reported.
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