Revisiting a wardrobe fit for a princess
Famous outfits worn by the late Princess Diana go on show ahead of auction
Princess Diana first visited Hong Kong in 1989 and, as usual, her wardrobe came under intense media scrutiny, most notably a white evening gown – sparkling with 20,000 pearls and dubbed the “Elvis” dress – that she wore to the opening of the city’s equally sparkling new Cultural Centre.
Another outfit from her threeday visit to the city was more subdued: a two-piece, yellowand-navy skirt suit worn on a visit to the new Red Cross headquarters in Wan Chai. She was, after all, a patron of the British Red Cross Youth.
The skirt suit was designed by French-born couturier Catherine Walker, who was behind many of the princess’ iconic looks. After dying in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, aged just 36, Diana was buried in a black dress designed by Walker.
On June 27, a selection of outfits and accessories collectively called “Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection” will be sold in an online auction from Julien’s, the Hollywood auction house often referred to as the “auction house to the stars”. The suit Diana wore at the Red Cross event is part of the collection, and is estimated to fetch between US$30,000 and US$50,000.
But before the auction takes place, Hong Kong will get to see the collection in an exhibition at K11 Musea’s Gold Ball, in Tsim Sha Tsui, from tomorrow until April 29. Following this, the collection will be exhibited at the Museum of Style Icons in Ireland from June 11-27.
Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien’s Auctions, says the K11 Musea event is a great opportunity to see some of the ensembles the princess wore during highly publicised international appearances.
The enduring love affair with all things related to the late princess, says Nolan, boils down to her compassion, kindness and ability to relate to all people – and for all people to relate to her.
In the public’s collective memory, he adds, she never grew old. “She was a beautiful, chic lady who, wherever she went, always made a fashion statement,” he says.
“This auction is a celebration of that and perhaps even a reintroduction, or even an introduction, to a younger generation, because it has been more than 25 years since she passed away.”
Also on show is a black velvet Walker evening gown, estimated at US$100,000 to US$200,000, and a Walker-designed pink floral silk dress (estimated at US$100,000 to US$200,000) that Diana was pictured wearing on August 22, 1991, leaving St Mary’s Hospital in London, and in 1992, leaving Prince Harry’s school in Notting Hill.
A highlight, Nolan says, is a midnight blue Murray Arbeid diamante star embellished tulle gown that the princess wore to the Phantom of the Opera premiere at London’s West End in 1986.
She also wore it at posh London hotel Claridge’s for a dinner with Constantine of Greece that same year. The gown is expected to fetch between US$200,000 and US$400,000.
A silk and lace evening dress by British couturier Victor Edelstein, another of Diana’s favourite designers, is also up for auction and is expected to fetch between US$200,000 and US$400,000.
“Edelstein designed the dress that Diana famously wore when she danced with [US actor] John Travolta at the White House in 1985.”
Accessories in the collection include a pair of Kurt Geiger emerald-green satin pumps with jewelled bows (estimated at US$2,000 to US$4,000) and a yellow-and-black wool turban by English milliner Philip Somerville (estimated at US$10,000 to US$20,000) that Diana wore in Germany in 1987 and again on Christmas Day that year.
“We always try to include items at every price point to make it an inclusive auction,” Nolan says.
While most items were worn by the late princess, some are connected to other royals, including a 19th-century nightgown that belonged to Queen Victoria and an haute couture blue dress designed by Hubert de Givenchy for Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor (estimated to fetch between US$800 and US$1,200).
In 2023, one of Princess Diana’s evening dresses broke auction records when it was sold by Julien’s for US$1.14 million, 11 times more than what it was estimated to fetch. The piece, by Jacques Azagury, was worn by the princess while in Italy in 1985.
Nolan says items once owned by celebrities – whether clothes, accessories or musical instruments – are “certainly now considered an asset class – and they are great conversation pieces”.
“It’s something that people can relate to and a chance to be part of our pop culture – or royal history, as in this case.”
She was a beautiful, chic lady who, wherever she went, always made a fashion statement
MARTIN NOLAN, JULIEN’S AUCTIONS
“Princess Diana’s Elegance & a Royal Collection” pop-up at Gold Ball, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, TST, April 18-29