Princess Diana gown tops $276,000 at auction

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Given Princess Diana‘s lasting presence as an international style icon, a recently discovered dress with significance in her life presumably would fetch major bucks at auction.

That’s just what happened in London on Tuesday as auction house Kerry Taylor put up the gown Di wore at her first public appearance as fiancee to Charles, Prince of Wales. The black gown by Elizabeth and David Emanuel sold for $276,621.

Fundación Museo De La Moda, a Chilean fashion museum, scored the garment, according to People magazine.

“As the weeks before her wedding progressed, Diana lost so much weight that she returned the gown to the Emanuels to have it taken in,” the auctioneer said.

“The alterations required were so drastic that they decided it would be easier to re-make a smaller version for her. They kept the original and forgot about it, only re-discovering it quite recently.”

The dress was provocative for its time, People noted, given that in royal circles, the deep black color was reserved mostly for funerals.

The museum indicated the dress would remain on display until the death of founder Jorge Yarur. It will then be donated to Kensington Palace, where Diana once lived.

-- Matt Donnelly

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