Princess Diana's Dress Sets New Auction Record, Fetching $1.1M | Vanity Fair

Article by Kase Wickman

Princess Diana's style continues to be trend-setting, even years after her premature demise. This past weekend, a dress once worn by the Princess of Wales was auctioned off for a whopping $1,148,080 at Julien’s Auctions. The amount is over 11 times the prediction set by the auction house and broke records, being the highest sum ever paid for a Princess Diana outfit.

The dress being referred to is a moderate-length attire embodying black and royal blue colours, tailored by Jacques Azagury. The princess sported this gown at a dinner hosted by the mayor of Florence, Italy, in 1985. She was accompanied by Prince Charles at the time. She wore the gown again at a presentation by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra held at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theater in 1986. The dress, designed with an embellished blue star, has a black velvet long-sleeved bodice. The attire is completed with an organza skirt having layers in royal blue with sash and bow detailing at the waist.

The purchaser of the gown has chosen to stay anonymous. A designer’s illustration of the dress was also sold at the auction for $5,080. In addition, a silk blouse that Diana wore at the occasion of her engagement had fetched $381,000 during the auction.

The figures for Princess Diana's vintage clothes have been escalating with time. The previous record was set by a Victor Edelstein gown that was auctioned for $604,800, at Sotheby’s auction back in the month of January. In the month of September alone, an ensemble of gowns belonging to the princess collectively raked in $1.62 million. During the same month, the iconic black sheep sweater broke records moniker when it sold for $1.143 million. This recent auction, however, has successfully outdone the previous record held by the sweater to become the most costly piece donned by the princess.