Princess Diana's iconic ballerina-length evening gown from her wardrobe, designed by Moroccan-British fashion creator Jacques Azagury, was impressively sold for $1.1 Million, to an ‘Unknown’ buyer at Julien's Auctions in collaboration with Turner Classic Movies as part of a four-day 'Hollywood Legends.’
This dress is now the most expensive among Princess Diana's dresses to be sold at auction. Princess Diana wore this dress in Florence in April 1985 and later to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986.
The winning bid exceeded its initial $100,000 estimate by 11 times, breaking the previous world record for the most expensive dress, the ‘Purple evening dress by designer Victor Edelstein’ worn by Princess Diana to be auctioned which fetched $604,800.
Photo: AFP 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. The ballerina skirt was the perfect nod to Diana’s love of dance and her being a patron of The English National Ballet,” a statement made by Julien’s Auction.
In Julien's recent auction, held in collaboration with Turner Classic Movies, another notable item sold was one of Diana’s blouses—specifically, the pink ruffled chiffon top featured in her engagement portrait. Crafted by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, the designers of Diana's iconic silk taffeta wedding dress, the blouse fetched $381,000, five times its original estimate.
Similar to Diana’s Azagury dress, her blush blouse was previously exhibited at Kensington Palace as part of “Diana: Her Fashion Story” from 2017 to 2019.
Photo: Getty Images
Throughout her life, Princess Diana adorned herself in several dresses by Azagury, even during one of her last public engagements in June 1997, Princess Diana wore another piece from his collection,The crystallized pale blue minidress.
Many items from the wardrobe of Princess Diana have been successfully sold in auctions at impressive bids this year. In May, her renowned Warm & Wonderful sheep sweater fetched $1.1 million at Sotheby’s. Last month, a charity auction supporting the Eagles Autism Foundation saw a replica of Princess Diana's Philadelphia Eagles bomber jacket, signed by Kylie Kelce, wife of team centre Jason Kelce, raising $100,000.
Jacques Azagury expressed his Sentiments
Expressing the significance of the entire collection, Azagury stated, "The whole collection means a lot to me, and the only reason I am selling them is because, as of five weeks ago, I retired. I really wanted people to keep enjoying these iconic dresses and ideally to keep the whole collection together."
The designer shared insights into Princess Diana's approach to fashion, "Princess Diana was always very excited by fashion, and she knew she would please so many people just waiting for her to come out in the next dress, whether they were waiting in the streets or watching her on television. She took a long time making sure that everything was just right, choosing the right shoes and jewellery."
While Azagury is pleased to share many of the dresses, some accompanied by sketches and personal handwritten notes from Princess Diana, he has chosen to keep certain sentimental items for himself.
"One of the most precious things that I have is a framed picture that the princess sent me the morning she was leaving for France, from which she never returned," he revealed.
Azagury recalled arriving at his shop to find a member of her staff waiting with a parcel. “Inside was a framed picture of Diana wearing three of the famous five dresses, with a message saying, ‘To Jacques, lots of love Diana’ — that I will be keeping all for myself," he added.
©️ Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
