Princess Diana’s Iconic “Revenge Dress” Is Heading Back to Auction
Image: Getty Images
Some dresses are memorable. Others become fashion history.
Princess Diana’s iconic “Revenge Dress” is firmly in the latter category—and after nearly three decades out of the public eye, the legendary little black dress is finally making a comeback. This December, Sotheby's will put the famous dress under the hammer, giving fans and fashion history buffs another chance to see one of Diana’s most unforgettable style moments up close.
But first, the dress is going on tour so fashion fans can see it for themselves. The black silk number will be displayed at Sotheby’s galleries around the world, beginning in London from September 18–24, before traveling to Hong Kong and Geneva. It will make its final stop in New York on December 2, where it will be auctioned on December 9.
The estimated sale price? $150,000 to $300,000. Although, considering the history attached to one of the most famous black dresses in fashion history,, it wouldn't be shocking if bidding went well beyond that range.
Image: Getty Images
The Dress Heard Around the World
On June 29, 1994, Diana stepped out of her Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign wearing the slinky black Christina Stambolian design to attend a fundraising dinner at London’s Serpentine Gallery. With its dramatic neckline, fitted silhouette and sweeping swaths of silk, the dress was impossible to miss.
And letting the dress do the talking was precisely the point that evening.
Just hours before, Prince Charles publicly acknowledged his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles in a televised interview. Diana arrived at the event looking confident, glamorous and completely in control. The press quickly dubbed it the “Revenge Dress,” and the moment became one of the most enduring examples of fashion as communication.
As Morgan Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, put it, the significance of the garment goes beyond who wore it or the headlines it generated. Diana, she noted, “turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made.”
Image: CAMPBELL ADDY FOR SOTHEBY'S
From Royal Wardrobe to Fashion History
The dress was last auctioned in June 1997, when Diana famously sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for cancer and AIDS charities. The sale became another reflection of the princess's long-standing commitment to philanthropy. Following that auction, the Stambolian dress was lent to charitable fundraising events throughout Scotland before disappearing from public view for almost 30 years.
Now, it’s back. And its return comes with a fitting continuation of Diana’s charitable legacy. Proceeds from the upcoming sale will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
From one unforgettable night in 1994 to a new chapter on the auction block, Diana’s little black dress has proven that great fashion can be about so much more than what you wear.
