Iconic Diana 'Revenge Dress' Set for Auction

Princess Diana’s iconic black off-the-shoulder “revenge dress,” designed by Christina Stambolian, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York on December 9 during Luxury Week. Diana wore it to a 1994 Serpentine Gallery fundraising dinner on the night Prince Charles publicly admitted infidelity, transforming the fitted dress, pearl-and-sapphire choker and bold styling into a lasting symbol of independence and image control. The garment is expected to fetch $150,000 to $300,000 and will tour Sotheby’s locations in London, Hong Kong and Geneva before the sale. Diana originally sold it in 1997 as part of a charity auction of 79 dresses benefiting cancer and AIDS causes, and it has remained in a private collection since then. A signed copy of the original auction catalogue will accompany the dress, while part of the new sale’s proceeds will benefit NHS Lothian Charity for the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.