An evening gown that was once owned by Princess Diana has set a new record for the most expensive dress ever sold at auction.
The black and blue ballerina-length dress, designed by Moroccan-British designer Jacques Azagury, was expected to fetch $100,000 but sold for a staggering $1.1 million, along with a matching illustration. This sale surpassed the previous record, which was held by a 1991 velvet gown by Victor Edelstein that fetched $604,800 in January.
Princess Diana first wore the dress to a dinner at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence while on a royal tour with Prince Charles in 1985. The dress has a blue organza skirt, a large bow, sash, and shoulder pads, and was clearly a favorite of the princess, who also wore it to a performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986.
According to Julien’s Auctions, the ballerina skirt was “a nod to Diana’s love of dance and her being a patron of the English National Ballet”.
Azagury’s website describes the bond the designer enjoyed with the princess, saying: “Jacques first met Diana Princess Of Wales in 1987 and held a very special relationship with the Princess and carried on dressing her until 1997.”
