One of Princess Diana's Quintessential '80s Gowns Just Shattered Records in Auction

Giovana Gelhoren
·2 min read
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While Princess Diana‘s time as a royal was short, her legacy will forever be remembered. In addition to being a fearless activist, and a proud mom of her two boys, she will also be immortalized by her impeccable sense of style.

From her now-iconic black sheep sweater to her powerful black “revenge dress,” the late Princess of Wales’ fashion was unique and wasn’t afraid to break some royal boundaries along the way. In one of her most iconic looks, for example, Diana rocked a drop-waist black and blue dress by Moroccan-British fashion designer Jacques Azagury, per People.

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The dress, which exudes quintessential ’80s style, was recently sold at Julien’s Auctions for a whopping $1,148,080. That’s right, more than one million! According to the outlet, the winning bid was approximately 11 times greater than the auction’s original estimate of $100,000. As for the buyer, they have preferred to stay anonymous.

VANCOUVER, CANADA - MAY 05: Princess Diana In Vancouver, Canada In A Blue And Black Evening Dress Designed By Fashion Designer Jacques Azagury. Arriving At The Orpheum Theatre For A Performance By The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Princess Diana In Vancouver, Canada in a blue and black evening dress arriving At The Orpheum Theatre For A Performance By The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

“The dress with padded shoulder pads features a black velvet bodice with embroidered stars in metallic thread made from Jakob Schlaepher fabric with a two-tier royal blue organza skirt with a sash and bow,” Julien’s Auctions described. “The ballerina skirt was the perfect nod to Diana’s love of dance and her being a patron of The English National Ballet.”

The dress was used by the late royal in Florence, Italy in April 1985 and at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986. During both outings, she paired the dress with black shoes, black tights and a matching black clutch.

Sold alongside the Jacques Azagury creation was the blush-toned blouse worn by the royal for her engagement portrait in 1981, per BBC. The dress also exceeded price expectations when it was sold for $381,000.

Before the record-breaking sale, the most expensive piece sold from Princess Diana’s archive was a velvet gown by Victor Edelstein that she wore in 1991, BBC reported. The purple evening dress was sold earlier this year for $604,800.

Looks like the world, and fashion collectors alike, know just how priceless Princess Diana and her style really were.

Before you go, click here to see all of our favorite photos of Princess Diana.

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