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Diana dress to go on sale at Sotheby’s later this month

Diana, Princess of Wales wore the dress for a famous 1997 Vanity Fair spread, shot by photographer Mario Testino.

Luke O'Reilly
Saturday 07 January 2023 13:53 EST
The ‘Infanta’-style strapless evening dress, designed by Victor Edelstein (Sotheby’s)
The ‘Infanta’-style strapless evening dress, designed by Victor Edelstein (Sotheby’s)

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One of Diana, Princess of Wales’ most famous dresses is set to go on sale at Sotheby’s in New York later this month.

The “Infanta”-style strapless evening dress, designed by Victor Edelstein, carries an estimate of between 80,000-120,000 dollars (£66,153-99,230).

Diana first wore the dress for an official portrait with the then-Prince of Wales in 1991.

She later wore it again for a 1997 Vanity Fair spread, shot by photographer Mario Testino.

The ball dress is made from deep aubergine silk velvet, with a tulip-shaped stiffened skirt, and has been augmented by three paste buttons at the back.

It was designed for Edelstein’s Autumn 1989 collection.

It was last sold for 24,150 dollars in 1997 as part of an auction of 80 dresses from Diana’s personal collection to raise money for the Aids Crisis Trust and the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund.

The dress will be displayed alongside Sotheby’s Masters Week exhibitions starting on January 21 and will be sold in ‘The One’ live auction on January 27 in New York.

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