Princess Diana’s revenge dress, the black silk gown behind one of the most recognisable fashion moments of the 1990s, is returning to auction. Sotheby’s expects it to sell for as much as $300,000 (£220,000) on 9 December.
Diana wore the custom-made Christina Stambolian evening dress to a party at London’s Serpentine Gallery in 1994. Her arrival came just hours after a television documentary aired in which the then-Prince Charles admitted committing adultery during their marriage.
The timing ensured the outfit was never going to be treated as merely formalwear. Newspapers quickly labelled it the “revenge dress”, and the name stayed.
Why the dress became so famous
The off-the-shoulder design marked a sharp departure from the more restrained royal wardrobe usually associated with Diana. Against the backdrop of Charles’s televised confession and intense public scrutiny of their marriage, her appearance became a statement without requiring an actual statement, which was probably convenient given the number of cameras waiting outside.
Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said Diana “understood instinctively” that clothing could operate as a language of its own.
