Nearly three decades after Princess Diana turned heads in one of the most memorable fashion moments of the 1990s, her famous black “revenge dress” is set to return to the auction block.
The strapless silk evening gown, designed by Greek-born British designer Christina Stambolian, will be sold by Sotheby’s on December 9, with the auction house estimating that it could fetch between $150,000 and $300,000 (about Sh19.4 million to Sh38.8 million).
The dress became part of pop-culture history on June 29, 1994, when Diana wore it to a Serpentine Gallery event in London.
Her appearance came on the same evening that then-Prince Charles addressed his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles during a televised interview, publicly acknowledging his infidelity.
Diana’s choice of outfit immediately became a talking point. The daring black dress, paired with her confident appearance, was interpreted as a powerful statement at a time when her troubled marriage was under intense public scrutiny.
The media subsequently gave it the unforgettable nickname “revenge dress”.
For Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, Morgane Halimi, the significance of the outfit goes beyond its design.
Halimi said Diana had an instinctive understanding of fashion as a form of communication and used the dress to express herself during one of the most emotionally charged periods of her life.
“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made,” Halimi said.
The upcoming sale will mark the first time the dress has been offered publicly since 1997, when Diana auctioned 79 of her dresses to raise funds for charity.
That sale, held shortly before her death at the age of 36, raised money for causes including cancer and AIDS charities. The Stambolian dress fetched $65,000 at the time.
Its estimated value has now multiplied several times, reflecting Diana’s enduring influence on fashion and popular culture more than three decades after her death.
Before the hammer falls, fans will have an opportunity to see the legendary outfit in person as Sotheby’s takes it on an international exhibition tour.
The tour will begin in London, where the dress will be displayed at Sotheby’s from September 18 to 24 to coincide with London Fashion Week.
It will then travel to Hong Kong in October and Geneva in November before making its way to New York in early December. There, it will go on public display at Sotheby’s Breuer Building ahead of the December 9 auction.
