Nobility - Up to 900,000 US dollars per item: Princess Diana's iconic clothing sold at auction at a high price
Numerous mementos of Princess Diana (1961-1997) and other memorabilia were sold in Los Angeles for $5.5 million (approximately $5.1 million Euro). According to the auction house Julien's, bids came in from thousands of buyers worldwide.
Most Expensive Dress Came Close to a Million
This was the largest collection of memorabilia of Diana since a historic charity auction in the year 1997 with dozens of the Princess's clothes, shortly before her death. The mother of the British Princes William and Harry died in Paris on the night of August 31, 1997, at the age of 36, in a car accident.
In the auction in California, among other things, clothes, shoes, handbags, hats, gloves, photos, and letters from her possession were offered. The most expensive piece was a long evening gown made of silk and sequins, which Diana wore at events in London and Hamburg in 1987, according to Julien's. The creation of fashion designer Victor Edelstein fetched over $900,000. It was previously valued at $200,000.
Items from Princess Diana Fetched Multiple Times Their Estimated Prices
A shoulderless, dark blue and star-embellished dress by designer Murray Arbeid fetched $780,000, almost four times its estimated price. A black velvet gown designed by Catherine Walker was sold for over $570,000.
Green pumps with jewels, which Diana wore at a reception in London in 1993, fetched a sensational $390,000 at the auction. The elegant shoes were previously valued at $2,000.
Julien's stated that 15 items were bought by Renae Plant, who runs the Princess Diana Museum in Los Angeles and is one of the largest collectors of Diana memorabilia. A portion of the auction proceeds is expected to go to charitable causes.
The USA played a significant role in the auction, with numerous global buyers participating, showcasing Diana's global popularity. The fashion industry was deeply impacted by Diana's style, with pieces sold for significantly higher prices than their estimated values. For instance, a dress from Great Britain's Catherine Walker fetched over $570,000. Even her simple green pumps, a staple of her fashion in London, were auctioned for an astounding $390,000. The Victor Edelstein gown, a symbol of nobility, was the most expensive item, selling for over $900,000, a remarkable increase from its initial $200,000 valuation. The auction in Los Angeles, California, echoed the grandeur of Princess Diana's memory, a testament to the enduring influence she had on people around the world, even two decades after her tragic death in Paris.
