Princess Diana's 'Revenge Dress' Set For Sotheby's Auction

According to the BBC, a black silk evening dress worn by Princess Diana to a London party in 1994 is going up for auction at Sotheby's, with the auction house expecting it to fetch up to $300,000 (£220,000) when it is sold on 9 December. The custom-made Christina Stambolian dress, worn hours after a televised documentary in which then-Prince Charles admitted adultery during their marriage, became known as the "revenge dress" after Diana's dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery. Sotheby's said it is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when Diana sold 79 dresses to raise money for charities. Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said Diana understood that fashion could serve as a language, while her stylist Anna Harvey said Diana wanted to look a million dollars. The princess wore the strapless dress with a royal jewel, a black clutch and black pumps. Sotheby's also said the vintage Jaguar XJ40 that Diana arrived in at the event sold earlier this year for £66,250, and noted that if the dress reaches its estimate it will not be the first Diana wardrobe item to fetch a large sum at auction.