he most famous black dress belonging to one of the most well-loved members of the British monarchy is up for auction — nearly three decades after it was last sold.
And its estimated worth? Somewhere between $150,000 and $300,000.
’s black off-the-shoulder silk gown, designed by Christina Stambolian, was considered too daring for a working royal — so daring that Diana owned it for years without ever wearing it.
Then, in 1994, she finally dusted it off for a Vanity Fair event on the exact same night that her estranged husband, then-Prince Charles, publicly confessed to having an affair. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since then, it’s been known as the ‘revenge dress’ and this year, it will headline a standalone fashion evening auction at Sotheby’s in New York on December 9.
Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ remains one of the most recognisable fashion moments of the 20th century, with its image endlessly reproduced in media.
Since then, “revenge dressing” has entered the modern fashion lexicon as shorthand for an outfit chosen to project confidence and independence, according to
The auction house remembers it as a moment that “transformed our understanding of what fashion can communicate”.
“Before social media, before celebrity images could circle the globe in seconds, Diana created an original viral fashion moment simply by stepping out of a car. She did not need to explain herself. She simply appeared, and the world watched,” Sotheby’s explains.
Before arriving in New York, though, the dress will tour London, Hong Kong and Geneva, according to
