BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Julien’s Auctions, the industry leader in the auctions of Princess Diana’s artifacts, made history in their highly anticipated auction “PRINCESS DIANA’S ELEGANCE & A ROYAL COLLECTION” on June 27, selling all of the Royal legend’s exquisite items offered at an exclusive presentation held live in front of an audience of collectors, museum curators and fans at The Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California and with thousands of bidders from around the world participating online at Julien’s Auctions.

The headline-making event featured the largest curated collection of Princess Diana’s most famous and glamorous gowns, suits, dresses, shoes, and handbags since her historic 1997 auction. It drew massive crowds to exhibitions of the collection held around the world in Hong Kong, New York, Ireland, and Los Angeles.

The collection of over 50 lots featured regalia of Princess Diana’s favorite British designers whom she championed, Catherine Walker, Victor Edelstein, Caroline Charles, and Murray Arbeid, as well as a collection of Princess Diana’s poignant letters, photos signed with personal messages and holiday cards from 1981-1995 handwritten to Maud Pendrey, a housekeeper at the Spencer family home at Althorp in Northamptonshire England. The auction, which totaled over 200 lots, also highlighted historical items from Royal Fashion trendsetters who came before her, such as The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, The Duke of Windsor, and Queen Victoria.

Items Worn During Her Asia Visit

A yellow and navy Catherine Walker two-piece suit that the Princess wore during her 1989 visit to Hong Kong sold for an astonishing US$325,000/ HK$2.54 million, nearly 11 times its estimate.

A violet leather semi-circle clutch by luxury brand Rayne that Princess Diana held in Hong Kong on November 6, 1989, and several times in 1990, including October 1, 1990, on an official visit to Washington D.C. where she and First Lady Barbara Bush visited AIDS patients and during her 1992 royal tour in Indiawhere she toured the Taj Mahal sold for an astounding US$88,900/ HK$693,420, 44 times its estimate. (A portion of the auction proceeds of this lot will benefit Muscular Dystrophy UK).

Diana’s boldest fashion statement-making purses and shoes designed by Rayne realized top prices, such as a white and red leather clutch with an envelope flap Diana used in 1988 and 1989 at Royal Papworth Hospital and The Royal College of Art, in Cambridge, on tour in Saudi Arabia in 1986, and while visiting Kyoto, Japan in 1986 sold for an astonishing US$63,500/ HK$495,300 nearly 32 times its estimate.

Iconic Gowns

One of Princess Diana’s most unforgettable garments captivated the world once again in the appearance of her off-the-shoulder magenta silk and lace flamenco style evening dress designed by Victor Edelstein that she wore in London and in Hamburg, Germany in 1987. The gown was the top-selling item at the event and sold for a breathtaking US$910,000/ HK$7.1 million, 4.5 times its estimate. It was one of her early dresses designed by Victor Edelstein, who would go on to create one of her most famous dresses in a similar design–the black lace dress she wore when she danced with John Travolta in the White House with President Reagan and Nancy Reagan in attendance.

One of the most talked about garments from the collection was Diana’s dazzling midnight blue strapless tulle diamante star gown designed by Murray Arbeid that she wore to the 1986 Phantom of the Opera premiere and a dinner at Claridge’s for King Constantine of Greece. Lord Snowden photographed Diana in this gown in 1997 for her charity auction. The gown sold for an astonishing US$780,000/ HK$6.1 million, nearly 4 times its estimate.

Shoes

Diana’s Kurt Geiger emerald green satin evening pumps worn to a state banquet at the Dorchester Hotel in London, November 11, 1993, sold for an incredible US$390,000/ HK$3 million, an extraordinary 195 times its estimate. A pair of Salvatore Ferragamo violet leather pumps photographed Princess Diana wearing while visiting Seville, Spain, in 1992 fetched US$127,000/ HK$990,600, 63.5 its estimate.

A pair of Rayne two-tone pale blue suede with black patent leather pumps and toe caps accompanied with a matching envelope-style handbag used by Diana on June 24, 1993 at a luncheon at Ironmonger’s Hall in London as the patron of The Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association sold for an outstanding US$195,000/ HK$1.52 million, 48 times its estimate.

Other top highlights included:

• A floral dress by Catherine Walker for her design label The Chelsea Design worn by Diana in 1988 at Prince William’s Wetherby School Sports Day at Richmond Stadium, leaving St. Mary’s Hospital in London in 1991 and in 1992 leaving Prince Harry’s school in Notting Hill sold for US$444,500/ HK$3.47 million, over 4 times its estimate (A portion of the auction proceeds of this lot will benefit Muscular Dystrophy UK).

• a Catherine Walker navy blue silk velvet cocktail dress belonging to Princess Diana that sold for US$381,000/ HK$2.97 million, 38 times its estimate.

• a three-page handwritten letter to Mrs. Pendrey from Princess Diana from 1984, written when Diana was pregnant with Prince Harry, sold for US$44,450/ HK$346,710, nearly 15 times its estimate.

• a two-page handwritten letter to Mr. and Mrs. Pendrey from Princess Diana from 1985 and references photos of William and Harry that she’d enclosed and signed “This comes with much love from the four of us, Diana” sold for US$28,575/ HK$222,885, 9.5 its estimate One of the biggest buyers at today’s event was Renae Plant, President of The Princess & The Platypus Foundation and owner of The Princess Diana Museum in Los Angeles. Fifteen top lots were sold to Plant who is considered the world’s largest collector of Princess Diana’s most prominent items. The renowned collector plans to display these newly obtained treasures such as the Philip Somerville designed 1985 Australia tour straw hat and yellow and black turban, the red Charles Jourdan burgundy leather purse, Rayne red leather shoes, white and grey Rayne two-tone pumps, Rayne violet leather clutch, Rayne two-tone white and red leather clutch, Salvatore Ferragamo black suede heels, handwritten letters to Mrs. Pendrey from 1981, 1982 and 1986 and the 1984 Prince Harry pregnancy letter, in her museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Princess Diana. Plant has a special connection to lot 25, the Salvatore Ferragamo violet purple leather pumps, as Princess Diana wore the shoes when they met in 1988. A portion of the auction proceeds of select items such as Diana’s red Charles Jourdan burgundy leather purse (US$12,700/ HK$99,060, over 6 times its estimate), red Rayne leather heels with cap toes worn on October 28, 1989 at an RAF base in Withering, Cambridgeshire (US$19,050/ HK$148,590, 9.5 times its estimate) and a Charles Jourdan burgundy black patent leather handbag (US$65,000/ HK$507,000, 32 times its estimate) will benefit Muscular Dystrophy UK, the leading charity for over 110,000 people in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle-wasting and weakening conditions.

Julien’s Auctions has represented the sales of some of Princess Diana’s most important garments, most notably with their US$1.14 million sale of her Jacques Azagury 1985 ballerina-length gown, an auction record for the most expensive dress worn by Princess Diana.

“The phenomenal results of today’s historic auction held just a few days before Princess Diana’s birthday demonstrates why Diana is and always will remain one of the world’s most beloved and inspiring cultural figures,” said Martin Nolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions. “These exquisite garments, shoes and accessories not only made fashion statements but also displayed her warmth and humanity, which made Diana the most popular and greatest Royal style icon of all time.”

*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo from Julien’s Auction