Princess Diana’s iconic black “revenge dress” is set to go under the hammer in New York this December, nearly three decades after it was last sold at auction. The silk Christina Stambolian dress will headline Sotheby’s standalone fashion evening auction on December 9, with an estimated value of $150,000 to $300,000, or roughly Rs 1.4 crore to Rs 2.8 crore.
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Diana wore the off-the-shoulder, fitted black dress to a Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery in June 1994, the same evening a television interview with her estranged husband, then-Prince Charles, aired in which he addressed his infidelity during their marriage. Diana had owned the dress for three years but had previously considered it too daring for a public appearance.
The outfit quickly became one of Diana’s most recognisable fashion moments. With its bold neckline, pearl choker and striking styling, the dress marked a more confident phase in her public image and later earned the nickname “Revenge Dress”. It has since become a lasting pop-culture reference for using fashion to make a statement after a high-profile breakup or scandal.
Diana never wore the dress publicly again. In 1997, she included it among 79 dresses she put up for auction to raise funds for cancer and AIDS charities. The current owners acquired it at that sale and have kept it ever since. Part of the proceeds from the upcoming auction will benefit NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Hospital of Edinburgh.
