The announcement of the auction where will be offered ten Princess Diana’s most iconic dresses aroused great interest. No wonder, since everything connected to Princess of Wales always attracts many collectors from all around the world. The collection of the late Princess will be offered by Kerry Taylor Auctions at Bermondsey in south-east London on March 19. Some of the “most important and iconic” dresses worn by Prince Charles’s glamorous former wife, including a gown she famously wore while dancing with actor John Travolta, are believed to be worth at least £600,000 ($915,000).
The iconic Saturday Night Diva creation that Diana wore when she memorably danced with John Travolta at a White House ball in 1985
“Some of the gowns were worn for official State visits to Austria, Australia, Brazil, India, South Korea and the United States of America,” said the auction house, which specialises in vintage fashion sales.
“Diana was photographed wearing them by not only by the paparazzi, but by some of the leading photographers of the day – including Mario Testino and Lord Snowdon.”
Participants will have a chance to bid for the silk velvet Victor Edelstein gown that Diana famously wore to dance with John Travolta at a 1985 state dinner at the White House. The off-the-shoulder dress is valued at up to £300,000 ($457,500). There is also a Bruce Oldfield black velvet evening gown, estimated to be worth up to £50,000 ($76,270), which Diana wore to a gala opening of the Les Miserables musical.
“These elegant couture creations were made by some of her favourite designers – Zandra Rhodes, Catherine Walker, Bruce Oldfield and Victor Edelstein,” said Kerry Taylor Auctions.
Florida-based socialite Maureen Dunken bought 13 of these dresses, but a bankruptcy court has ordered her to sell ten of them after she ran into financial difficulty.
A Catherine Walker burgundy crushed velvet evening gown
A Catherine Walker sea-green sequined evening gown
The Zandra Rhodes white chiffon cocktail dress
The Bruce Oldfield black velvet evening gown
The Catherine Walker burgundy outfit
A Catherine Walker gown that the late Princess wore in 1991
The Princess worn the Mughal-inspired Catherine Walker pink silk gown
