Princess Diana’s velvet ballerina-length evening dress sells for $1.1 million – a new record for one of her dresses sold at auction
A dress worn by Princess Diana in 1985 has broken a new fashion record after selling for $1.148 million (£904,262).
The black, ballerina-length velvet evening dress sold for eleven times its estimate at Julien’s Auctions in Hollywood after tipping for $100,000.
The dress – which comes complete with shoulder pads, a blue organza skirt, a large bow and a sash – is now the new record holder as the most expensive dress worn by Diana to be sold at auction.
Diana initially donned the dress in Italy in 1985 during a royal tour with her then-husband Charles, Prince of Wales, and again with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986.
The previous record holder, a 1991 velvet dress by Victor Edelstein, fetched $604,800 at auction in January.
A dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1985 broke a new fashion record and went under the hammer in Hollywood for eleven times its estimated price
Diana initially donned the dress in Italy in 1985 during a royal tour with her then-husband Charles, Prince of Wales (pictured) and again with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986
That means Diana’s Jacques Azagury dress nearly doubled the gap between first and second place.
The collectible is made from fabric chosen by world-renowned textile merchant Jakob Schlaepher and features metallic embroidered stars carefully threaded by Jacques Azagury’s design team.
The ballerina skirt was considered a nod to her patronage of the English National Ballet and her love of dance.
Diana subsequently wore several Jacques Azagury pieces during her time with the royal family, with the Moroccan-British fashion designer creating her wedding dress for her 1981 wedding to Charles.
Also for sale at the Julien’s Auctions and TCM Present: Hollywood Legends event was a blouse Diana wore for her 1981 engagement portrait.
The pink crepe blouse has a ruffled collar and loose pleats at the front, worn by Diana, and was captured on film by royal photographer Lord Snowdon.
Princess Diana and the then Prince Charles in Florence during their official tour of Italy
The black, ballerina-length velvet evening dress sold at Julien’s Auctions for a total of US$1,148,080 (£904,262)
The ballerina skirt was considered a nod to her patronage of the English National Ballet and her love of dance
The pink crepe blouse with a ruffled collar and loose pleats at the front, worn by Diana, was captured on film by royal photographer Lord Snowdon
It sold for $381,000 (£300,990), almost four times its original estimate of $80,000.
Hollywood star clothes also auctioned included a Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1963 comedy Charade.
Elsewhere, a sleeveless dress worn by Gloria Swanson in the 1950 noir film Sunset Boulevard and Barbra Streisand’s sailor dress from a 1960s special called My Name Is Barbra.