Few dresses can lay claim to being as famous as their wearer, but if any garment deserves its place in the history books it’s the ‘revenge dress’.
Worn by Diana, Princess of Wales to an event at London’s Serpentine Gallery in June 1994, her little black dress didn’t merely set a trend – it inspired a whole genre.
While its designer, Christina Stambolian has long been forgotten, the dress she created for Diana has become forever lodged in the public memory.
Its daring cut was interpreted as a public rebuke to Prince Charles, who had admitted to committing adultery on ITV shortly before Diana made her appearance at the Serpentine.
Tight, black and falling seductively off-the-shoulder, the dress seemed designed to show her husband just what he was missing. Worn with high heels, red lipstick and a pearl choker, it proved that elegance is the ultimate revenge.
In the intervening years, many A-listers have tried to recreate its impact in an attempt to wreak their own revenge.
Thirty-two years after its original appearance, the most famous ‘LBD’ (little black dress) in history is poised to make another stir.
In December, Sotheby’s New York will offer fans the chance to own the storied garment, which will be sold at auction for the first time in nearly three decades.
Few dresses can lay claim to being as famous as their wearer, but if any garment deserves its place in the history books it’s the ‘revenge dress’
Thirty-two years after its original appearance, the most famous ‘LBD’ (little black dress) in history is poised to make another stir
Diana only wore the dress once, before selling it at a 1997 charity auction of 79 dresses to benefit cancer and Aids charities. It has remained in the hands of its current owner ever since.
Parts of the proceeds from the Sotheby’s sale this December will also have a charitable element, benefiting NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Hospital of Edinburgh.
The dress is arguably the most infamous example of Diana’s clever use of fashion to manage her image and semaphore her feelings.
According to her stylist, Anna Harvey, Diana decided to wear the dress at the eleventh hour, having owned it for three years but previously considered it too daring to wear in public.
Harvey once said that Diana “wanted to look like a million dollars”. Three decades later, she might posthumously get her wish.
While Sotheby’s estimates the dress will fetch $150,000 (£110,00) – $300,000 (£221,000), the final sale figure is likely to be considerably more and could comfortably reach a million dollars – or even surpass it.
In January 2023, a velvet Victor Edelstein dress from Diana’s wardrobe sold for $604,800 (£446,000), five times more than its estimate.
In September 2023, a famous ‘sheep jumper’ worn by a 19-year-old Lady Diana fetched $1.1million (£812,000) in New York, fourteen times more than the auction house’s $50,000 (£37,000) – $80,000 (£59,000) estimate.
While Sotheby’s estimates the dress will fetch $150,000 (£110,00) – $300,000 (£221,000), the final sale figure is likely to be considerably more and could comfortably reach a million dollars
Diana only wore the dress once, before selling it at a 1997 charity auction of 79 dresses to benefit cancer and AIDS charities. It has remained in the hands of its current owner ever since
Ahead of the sale, the dress will tour globally, with stops in London, Hong Kong and Geneva, before returning to New York for public exhibition and the December auction
Eye watering as this figure is, it’s still not the most expensive item to have been sold from Diana’s wardrobe.
That accolade belongs to the Jacques Azagury gown worn by Diana in Florence, Italy, in 1985, which in December 2023 fetched $1,148,080 (£847,207.10) at Julien’s Auctions in Hollywood, smashing its original estimate.
Given the global fame of her ‘revenge dress’, it seems likely that the most storied gown of modern times will soon be adding ‘record breaker’ to its distinguished cv. No doubt its dedicated Wikipedia page will be updated accordingly.
Happily, those without the funds to buy it may at least be allowed a glimpse. Ahead of the sale, the dress will tour globally, with stops in London, Hong Kong and Geneva, before returning to New York for public exhibition and the December auction.
May the best woman win.
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