The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Diana dress sells for £102k
Emanuels design owned by princess bought by foreign museum
A“fairytale” dress thatonce belonged to Princess Diana has sold for more than £100,000 at auction.
The ornate gold and white gown, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, features sequins, crystals and pearl beads and was worn by Diana on several occasions, including the premiere of James Bond film The Living Daylights.
It was sold by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London for £ 102,000, including buyer’s premium, having been estimated to reach between £ 50,000 and £80,000. There was a huge amount of interest from the US but a museum based in another overseas country made the successful bid.
Kerry Taylor said: “This is the 11th Princess Diana dress that I have sold this year, and I feel very lucky and privileged. It is a beautiful dress, worn by a beautiful woman, and deserved to do well.”
The auctioneer described the dress as having a “pretty, fairytale princess feel to it” and added that the dress’s current owner “is pleased that the gown will be preserved for others to enjoy in years to come”. It is not yet known where the gown’s new home will be.
Diana first saw the dress at a Red Cross benefit fashion show in summer 1986, and rather than having it specially commissioned from the designers, she was happy to take the standard size 10 dress from the show.
She wore it at a banquet at the German ambassador’s residence in London in July 1986, and to the Royal Opera House for a performance of Ivan The Terrible by the Bolshoi Ballet later the same month, as well as to the film premiere
“This is the 11th Diana dress I have sold this year. I feel lucky and privileged”
in Leicester Square the following year.
The dress was part of the Emanuels’ Diaghilev collection, which was inspired by Leon Bakst’s designs for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.
According to the auctioneer, Elizabeth Emanuel said that because of its lavish decoration and striking gold and white colours, the dress was something that people would either love or hate and she remembered that the Princess told her she “loved it”.
Her former husband David is currently on I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! on ITV.
The Emanuels were a fashion favourite of the Princess and they made special ensembles and evening gowns for Diana’s overseas tours with the Prince of Wales, as well as producing maternity wear for her.