A black, skintight ‘revenge dress’ worn by Princess Diana on September 6, 1994, will go up for auction in December 2024, with an estimated price of £110,000 to £220,000, according to Sotheby’s. The garment,now a cultural icon,was designed by Christina Stambolian and worn the same evening that Prince Charles publicly admitted his infidelity on live television.

From Private Moment to Public Symbol

Diana wore the dress to a Vanity Fair-hosted fundraiser at the Serpentine Gallery in London — According to Sotheby’s, the timing of the event,along with the leaked news of Charles’s affair,gave the outfit a powerful cultural resonance. “What makes this dress extraordinary is not merely that it was worn by the princess, nor that its appearance at the Serpentine event made headlines around the world. It is what it communicated,” said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion.

The dress is considered one of the first examples of “revenge dressing,” a concept in which clothing is used to assert personal agency or respond to public scrutiny. The garment has its own Wikipedia page and has been discussed for decades in fashion and cultural circles.

Auction History and Legacy

This will be the first time the dress has been sold since 1997, when Diana herself auctioned it off for charity; that sale raised £39,098, equivalent to around £100,000 in today’s money. The current owners have held the garment in their private collection since then.

Before the December auction, the dress will be displayed in London, followed by stops in Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York, the piece is expected to draw attention from collectors and fashion historians alike. “It occupies a unique place in fashion history because it represents one of those very rare moments when a garment transcends fashion to become part of cultural history,” Halimi added.

A rare, signed catalog of the original dress will also be included in the auction lot, Part of the proceeds will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, according to Sotheby’s.

A Fashion Fairy Tale

While the ‘revenge dress’ is the focus of the current auction, another Diana piece is also up for sale. An engagement blouse, worn by the princess in February 1981 for a photo shoot with Antony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon), will be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills between December 14 and 17. The blouse, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel,later responsible for Diana’s wedding dress—was part of a collection prepared for her by the Vogue fashion team.

According to Darren Julien, president and CEO of Julien’s Auctions, the blouse is more than a fashion item, “Princess Diana’s engagement blouse transcends fashion; it’s a poignant symbol of love, grace, and a timeless moment in history,” he said. The blouse features flowing sleeves, a satin ribbon that ties under the collar, and a single-button closure at the back of the neck, as it has a light pink silk lining and no label or size tag.

Though distinct in purpose and era, both items reflect the enduring influence of Princess Diana’s style and public image. The ‘revenge dress’ encapsulated a moment of personal and public defiance, while the engagement blouse marked the beginning of a fairy-tale romance that captivated the world.