Princess Diana's dress designer Jacques Azagury became sentimental when he talked about the late royal's love for fashion following news that the ballerina-style dress she purchased from him sold for 11 times its estimate.
The ballerina-length evening dress comes with padded shoulder pads and features a black velvet bodice. It has embroidered stars in metallic thread from Jakob Schlaepher fabric and a two-tier royal blue organza skirt with a sash and bow.
The dress was purchased by an anonymous buyer for $1,143,000, more than its original estimate of $100,00. According to Julien's Auctions: "The ballerina skirt was the perfect nod to Diana's love of dance and her being a patron of The English National Ballet."
She wore it in April 1985 during a royal tour of Italy with then-Prince Charles and to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986. The princess came upon the design when her stylist Anna Harvey brought her along to see Azagury's second "New Romantics" collection in London.
Princess Diana’s evening dress, designed by Jacques Azagury, was sold at auction for an incredible $1.14 million, becoming the most expensive dress ever worn by Lady Diana to be sold in this manner.-https://t.co/P7uZDy40wc pic.twitter.com/gdaeF8PKIm
— Luxurylaunches (@luxurylaunches) December 19, 2023
"I remember while I was talking to her, her eye kept going to a certain dress," the Moroccan-British dress designer told People. Three weeks later, Princess Diana dropped by his studio and purchased the blue and black drop-waist design.
Azagury said: "It wasn't specially designed for her at all, although, of course, we made it for her proportions, but she didn't care that someone else might have it, not at all."
He added of the iconic dress: "It's almost as valuable as an important piece of art really because it represents the time. That one dress speaks to so much of what was happening at the time; it was the '80s, the big shoulders and it was also the start of the story of Diana."
On hearing the news of the sale of the dress, Azagury admitted that he "was really excited and quite emotional" as it was the first dress he ever made for her.
He said: "I'm just so happy that it's still loved so much". He thinks that Princess Diana "would be so happy because fashion was a big part of her life".
He shared: "That might sound flippant, but she loved getting ready for an occasion, she loved stepping out and being seen by all these people; not disappointing anyone, that was very important to her."
The retired dress designer added of the late Princess of Wales: "(She was) always very excited by fashion, and she knew she would please so many people just waiting for her to come out in the next dress, whether they were waiting in the streets or watching her on the television. She took a long time making sure that everything was just right, choosing the right shoes and jewelry."
Azagury worked with Princess Diana for twelve years up until her untimely death in August 1997. He said one of the most precious things he has is a framed picture of the royal wearing three of the five dresses he made for her which had the message: "To Jacques, lots of love Diana." He said a member of her staff arrived at his shop to give him the parcel on the morning she was leaving for France, from which she never returned.
It has been decades since her death but the interest in the late princess has never waned. Azagury thinks that the "Diana effect is as strong as ever, maybe stronger because of the mystique that will always surround" her.
He said: "People are still very hungry to know more about her, I don't think this will change." Azagury thinks that Princess Diana "would be delighted that there is still this amazing interest in the dresses that she wore and in herself too". He explained that "each of those dresses has a story, and they are all part of her story. They are very relevant in history".
