A formal dress from the collection worn by the late Princess Diana has sold at auction for almost five times its pre-auction estimate.
The violet strapless evening dress went under the hammer on Friday, fetching $604,800 (£488,545) for its final bid, five times its pre-auction estimate of $80,000-120,000.
Four bidders competed for the six-figure piece of history over four and a half minutes at Sotheby’s New York salesroom.
The sale comes after Kim Kardashian bought Princess Diana’s Attallah Cross necklace at auction for £164,000 earlier this month.
Princess Diana wore the ‘Infanta’ style, created by society dresser Victor Edelstein, in a 1991 portrait with Prince Charles as Lord Snowdon, and was later captured on camera by Mario Testino in 1997 for a photo shoot. Vanity Fair icon with the late princess.
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The ball gown – originally designed for Victor Edelstein’s autumn/winter 1989 collection – was created from silk velvet, and featured a stiff tulip-shaped skirt. Its strapless bandeau style features ruched draping at the bodice and three button fastenings at the back.
Fashion photographer Mario Testino captured the late princess in a series of now iconic images for Vanity Fair in 1997, which turned out to be the last official portraits taken of Diana before her untimely death in August of that year same.
The dress previously sold for $24,150 as part of a 1997 auction that sold 80 dresses from Princess Diana’s personal collection to raise money for the AIDS Crisis Trust and the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund.
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A portrait of Diana wearing the dress, by British artist Douglas Hardinge Anderson in 1991, now hangs at the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund, which she visited, received philanthropic support and was President of.
“Princess Diana has long been known and celebrated for her timeless style, and this sleek and sophisticated ball gown, designed by Victor Edelstein, embodies Princess Diana’s effortless beauty,” said Cynthia Houlton, Head Sotheby’s World of Fashion and Accessories. sale.
“Today’s sale of this historic dress is a reminder of the enduring legacy of Princess Diana who continues to inspire people around the world,” she said.
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Edelstein was one of Diana’s go-to designers for over a decade, from 1982 to 1993, creating many of her bespoke looks for royal visits, including the off-the-shoulder dress made famous when the late princess visited USA and danced with John. Travola wearing the design.
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