Princess Diana dress she wore during dance with Travolta fails to sell at auction

The dress, offered as part of a “Passion for Fashion” sale by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London, had an estimated price tag of 250,000-300,000 pounds ($320,750 - $385,000). However it failed to reach those figures during live bidding.

By REUTERS
December 10, 2019
Princess Diana dress she wore during dance with Travolta fails to sell at auction

LONDON: A midnight blue velvet gown that Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at a 1985 White House state dinner failed to sell at auction on Monday, though two of her other dresses went for above their estimated prices.

The off-the-shoulder bodiced Victor Edelstein frock, which flares up at the knee, is one of the most recognisable dresses ever worn by Diana, who died in 1997.

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The dress, offered as part of a “Passion for Fashion” sale by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London, had an estimated price tag of 250,000-300,000 pounds ($320,750 - $385,000). However it failed to reach those figures during live bidding.

Before the sale, auctioneer Kerry Taylor told Reuters there had been buyer interest from Britain and the United States. She said the dress had previously been bought in 2013 for 200,000 pounds “by a romantic gentleman who wanted basically to cheer up his wife”.

“But since then it’s spent most of its time locked away in a wardrobe and now as a couple they feel they really want this to go out into the public domain.”

The two Diana dresses that sold were a Katherine Cusack midnight blue velvet evening gown, which went for a hammer price of 48,000 pounds - above its 20,000 - 30,000 pounds estimate - and a short navy Catherine Walker day outfit, which had a 4,000 - 6,000 pound price tag and went for 28,000 pounds.

Other items under the hammer included pieces by Givenchy, Christian Dior and other luxury labels.

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