Princess Diana's black dress, known in history as the "revenge dress," will be put up for auction for the first time in 30 years. The lot's estimate is between $150,000 and $300,000, according to infohub.kz.
The Sotheby's evening auction is scheduled for December 9. Before the sale, the legendary gown will be shown to the public in London, Hong Kong, and Geneva.
Diana wore the dress to a Vanity Fair party at London's Serpentine Gallery in June 1994. That same day, an interview with her ex-husband, then-Prince Charles, aired in which he admitted to infidelity during their marriage.
Diana had initially planned to choose another outfit for the appearance but changed her mind at the last moment. The off-the-shoulder Stambolian dress had been in her wardrobe for about three years, but the princess had previously considered it too daring for a public appearance. Diana's look was completed with a pearl choker, red nails, and matching lipstick. Former stylist Anna Harvey later recalled that Diana wanted to "look like a million dollars." After that appearance, the dress became known as the "revenge dress" and turned into a symbol of a confident public image after the separation. Diana never wore it in public again.
In 1997, the princess included the dress in a list of 79 outfits she put up for a charity auction. The funds went to organizations helping people with cancer and HIV/AIDS.
The current owners bought the dress at that auction and have kept it in their possession since then. Part of the proceeds from the upcoming sale will also go to charity — they will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Over the past decades, the dress has become one of Diana's most recognizable looks. The designer later created a copy of it, and a similar outfit was used to recreate the princess's look in the Netflix series "The Crown." Other items connected to that evening have also been put up for auction.
In June of this year, the green Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign from which Diana stepped out at the Serpentine Gallery sold for £66,250 (more than 40 million tenge). Note that the original dress will be displayed to the public in several cities before the auction, after which it will go under the hammer in New York on December 9.
Recall that Princess Diana was the former wife of Prince Charles, now King Charles III, and the mother of Princes William and Harry. The future princess was born to John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Frances Ruth Roche. On July 1, Princess Diana would have turned 65. She died on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36.