Highlights from the Princess Diana Auction
Bidding is now open: If you have the change, you can bid for a piece of Princess Diana. On 26 June 2025, Julien’s auctions 140 items related to Princess Diana. Some are memorabilia such as pictures or sketches, but there are also some fashion items – spoiler alert, some of them are pretty iconic. At the time of publishing this article, bidding was open and some of the garments were already in the six-figure-range. For those of you asking – the proceeds will be donated to charity, to Muscular Dystrophy UK. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
You can also watch my video here:
1995 Black Lambskin Lady Dior Bag
An icon, carried by an icon. Initially, the bag was called ChouChou and it was a gift by Bernadette Chirac, the then-First Lady of France. (You can learn more about this bag in my article about I also talked about this bag in my video about iconic bags and their celebrity godmothers). The bag with its signature stitching reminiscent of cane-back chairs at the Maison Dior was originally inspired by Dior muse Mitzah Bricard. It was a very smart move by Dior to gift the bag to Princess Diana, who, at the time, had established herself as a fashion icon. The ChouChou soon became known as Princess Diana’s favourite bag and was was renamed “Lady Dior” in 1996 as a nod to the Princess.
The Lady Dior was one of Princess Diana’s favourite bags.
Princess Diana was often photographed carrying this bag. She used it for her official visit to Argentina in November 1995 wear was photographed with it at the airport wearing a custom sleeveless Gianni Versace shift dress. The bag (and the dress) also stand for her style evolution after her separation from Prince Charles when she started to wear more international designers. Princess Diana also carried this bag in October of the same year when visiting Birmingham. The picture where she hugged a pupil of the Conductive Education made international headlines.
There are further accessories for auction as well: A Versace silk clutch in off-white, a black Versace leather bag, a champagne-coloured Prada tote from 1996 and many shoes. It can be assumed that due to the Lady Diors fame and its link to Princess Diana, the bag will achieve a record price.
Three Versace Designs
Princess Diana and Gianni Versace famously had a close friendship. He was one of the first, if not the first known international designer who started to work with Princess Diana in the 1990s. After her separation from Prince Charles in the early 1990s, her style changed drastically, and today it is seen as her glamourous, more confident style period, some call it “Revenge Couture”. Gianni Versace contributed a lot to that.
The designer said in an article in Vanity Fair in 1997:
“I had a fitting with her last week for new suits and clothing for spring, and she is so serene. It is a moment in her life, I think, when she’s found herself—the way she wants to live.”[1]
The Princess was introduced to Versace’s designs by Anna Harvey who showed her a picture of Naomi Campbell in an embellished column dress. Diana enjoyed wearing different labels labels and reinventing her style to stay current and be unpredictable. She became a frequent client of Versace and a close friend. His tailored clothing accentuated her body and the strong color choices made her stand out in large crowds. Princess Diana wore a lot of Versace. Remember the pink double-breasted skirt suit with a pillbox hat paying tribute to Jackie Kennedy? Or her evening gown which was shot by Patrick Demarchelier in 1990 for a magazine cover (which was also auctioned off at Julien’s in 2015 for USD 200,000).[2]
The Princess never accepted free clothing from designers, so the pieces in her wardrobe were a collaborative design between her and ateliers, personally chosen by her.[3] In her book “House of Versace” Deborah Ball wrote,
“Over the next several years, Gianni gradually became one of her favorite designers […]. He gave her first pick of his couture collection and designed pieces exclusively for her that were classic but had a pinch of glamour […], giving her the sleek, international look she was known for at the end of her life.”[4]
Princess Diana sometimes asked Versace to remove the medusas or what some people call “gaudy” elements of his designs to make it work for her needs.[5]
In this auction, there are three Versace designs: The first one is a three-piece lilac Atelier Versace (haute couture) skirt suit designed by Gianni Versace from the 1990s. On the inside of the jacket, there is an embroidered a letter “D” with Versace’s signature Greek decorative border forming a circle. This specific shade of lavender was part of Gianni Versace’s Spring/Summer 1997 ready-to-wear collection. The jacket is similar to the runway look 22 of the same collection.[6]
The second garment is a pinstripe pant-suit. Gianni Versace showed a similar tailored jacket and pinstripe in his Spring/Summer 1997 ready-to-wear collection. And the third design in this auction is a pale blue Gianni Versace shift dress.[7]
Silk Floral Dress by Belville Sassoon from 1988
This crepe-dechine dress is also called the “Caring Dress”, as Princess Diana wore it frequently not only for public appearances and official visits but also when she visited hospitals and sat with patients. This dress was initially designed for her royal tour to Australia in 1988, but she kept wearing it and it was often photographed until 1992. The press even got a bit annoyed that she wore the dress so often, because the public was confused, as readers could not tell whether it was a recent picture of the Princess or not. (A big issue for the yellow press, as they always have to offer the most recent pictures.) The Daily Mail even wrote a story about the dress in 1992 titled “Very Endearing, very enduring.” with the text starting “Looks familiar? Yes, it’s that dress again.” While today, royals and celebrities are applauded for re-wearing garments, Princess Diana broke royal protocols by doing so.[8]
Mathew Storey, curator of “Royal Style in the Making,” explained why this dress spoke to Diana: She wore it when visiting children, often sick children and she knew that children responded really well to that dress.[9] Probably because it is bright and colourful.
According to Storey, Princess Diana would have the ability to understand fashion sketches really well and she was very much involved in the design of the garments and would also leave notes with her comments. (Before the internet and modern means of communication, this was the process for haute couture garments. You can learn more in my article about haute couture.) Her lady-in-waiting Anne Beckwith Smith explained that in addition to her input to the designs, the Princess would send written thank you notes to the designers after the garments were finished. In the case of the Caring Dress (and another one), she sent the following message:[10]
“Dear David, Thank you so much for making me the two lovely dresses four our trip abroad- with love from Diana.”[11]
Princess Diana wore this dress during an official visit to Spain with purple Ferragamo block heels. These heels were auction off by Julien’s in 2024 and achieved USD 127,000. Because Princess Diana wore it so often, it is very well documented, for example in Sydney in 1988, in Windsor and Lagos in the same year, in London in 1990, in São Paulo in 1991 and a year later in Spain and on a visit of the Lighthouse Project for AIDS. As mentioned previously, she also wore it for hospital and other visits.[12]
Honeymoon send-off outfit from 1981 by Belville Sassoon, hat by John Boyd.
The Princess frequently wore Bellville Sassoon – she was introduced to the label by her mother. Originally, she talked to David Sassoon about an engagement outfit, but ended opting for a suit she got at Harrod’s for the occasion. But Sassoon designed her salmon pink suit for her honeymoon send-off with Prince Charles in 1981.[13]
John Boyd Hat from 1981 (Part of Her Honeymoon Send-Off Outfit)
Speaking of her honeymoon send-off outfit: The matching hat is part of this auction. This straw hat with silk trim, light pink ostrich feather plumes and feather stems was designed by Scottish milliner John Boyd who worked with Princess Diana and other royals. This particular design was a favourite of the Princess who also had other versions in maroon and beige. She also wore this hat in Canberra in 1983 for a public appearance.[14]
1985 Jacqueline Mills Calico Dress Toile
This is an interesting piece which is not necessarily an outfit Diana “wore”. The calico two-piece dress toile was designed by Jacqueline Mills for Princess Diana around 1985. A toile is typically used in couture so that the pattern can be exactly cut on the fabric which is chosen for the design. This toile comes in two pieces, a bodice and a skirt, to serve as the fit pieces for the finalized design. This dress represents Diana’s early style from the early- to the mid-1980s which created a rather fairy-tale-like aesthetic with fitted bodices which was much more romantic than her bolder choices later on.[15]
1986 Catherine Walker Falcon Evening Gown
Falcon Dress for the Gulf Tour in 1986 by Catherine Walker.
This dress was designed for the 1986 Gulf Tour, including visits in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It was exhibited at “Diana: Her Fashion Story” at Kensington Palace in 2017. The design itself is minimalist but it features sequins, beading and embroidery of falcons in a migration-like pattern. The falcon has a special meaning in Saudi Arabia as this bird has an important meaning for the country. Catherine Walker was also inspired by this very design for her Spring/Summer 1998 collection and she also wrote in her memoir:[16]
“The inspiration for this dress comes from a dress I designed for the Princess of Wales when she visited the Gulf States. The embroidered motif at the time was a falcon, which we thought was an appropriate symbol.”[17]
As part of this auction, there is a contemporary interpretation of this falcon dress by Palmer//Harding. In her lifetime, Diana promoted British labels – not only established but also up-and-coming designers. She also supported London Fashion Week. It is a nice gesture that Julien’s collaborated with Palmer//Harding, the Princess would have appreciated that.[18]
Walker designed for Princess Diana from November 1981 until Diana’s passing in August 1997. She created garments for royal tours, official visits, public engagements, and she also designed garments which the Princess wore in private. Diana started to wear Catherine Walker when pregnant with William. After her pregnancy she preferred tailored garments, especially double-breasted outerwear designed by Walker, like another Walker-design in this auction: A navy wool pinstripe double-breasted coatdress with gold anchor buttons. Diana was photographed in it when leaving the Carlyle Hotel in New York in 1995. On this trip, she received the United Cerebral Palsy Humanitarian of the Year award and she awarded her friend, the fashion editor Liz Tiberis, for the CFDA.[19]
Another dress in the auction represents Diana’s even bolder phase with more fitted silhouettes (which some call her “Revenge Couture”): A black silk sleeveless cocktail dress which the Princess wore for an official photo shoot for the Palace in 1995. Diana had worn this dress for the opening of London Fashion week and also wore it during an official visit to Hong Kong. It stands for the Princess’s bolder, more glamorous fashion style towards the end of her life. Walker wrote about Diana’s new style in her memoir:[20]
“There was a new radiance about her. and when I look back at my working notes of the time, I’m reminded that we had had talked about trying to capture that; how the designs should smile. Little by little, I saw her silhouette and her coloring change, and I was more enthralled than ever by the designs throughout this new image.”[21]
Three-Piece Escada Suit
Esacada suit with a pop of colour.
Coming back to the “power suits”: In the 1990s, Princess Diana frequently wore the signature power suits of the 1990s for public appearances. After her more romantic phase when she was younger, she started to wear this rather executive look in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It also reflected the trends of the time: The yuppies, young successful professionals, were influencing fashion and more women were represented in high-level jobs. I would like to draw attention to the pocket square reflecting the blue lining of the suit. By involving colour into her suits, she stood out amongst the crowd, while still wearing a power suit in a typical colour. This Escada suit was photographed at six public engagements in the UK from 1988 until 1992.[22]
1987 Bruce Oldfield Yellow Floral Ensemble
Princess Diana with Sarah Ferguson at Royal Ascot in 1987.
Diana was photographed wearing this Bruce Oldfield design at Royal Ascot in 1987 when she was in the carriage with the Queen Mother and later walked with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Bruce Oldfield, who custom-designed the dress, started to create more daring statement pieces for the Princess in the mid-1980s. The press then called her “Dynasty-Di” – a reference to the popular TV-show Dynasty with its bold fashion statements. It was a daring choice for a traditional event like Royal Ascot and stood out amongst the outfits worn by the usual Ascot “crowd”. Oldfield said in an interview with the Telegraph:[23]
“It’s funny because I don’t often use print […] I can’t remember how that one skipped through, but I think it was something that I showed the Princess because it was something singularly different from what most of the ladies who go to Ascot wore.”[24]
HEAD Scarlet Nylon Ski Suit
Red nylon ski suit by HEAD
Princess Diana loved skiing. When I think of the Princess and her sons, I have to think of their skiing trips to Lech in Austria. This red nylon ski-suit has been photographed many times between 1985 to 1992: in Malbun (Liechtenstein), in Klosters, Switzerland and in Lech, Austria. This ski suit has become so iconic that it has been referenced by many fashion magazines and frequently shows up in articles about the Princess or on social media. It has become an iconic garment related to Princess Diana, not only due to its bright colour. It probably also was how she styled it: The braided head band and the gold hoop earrings in 1987 or with a bob haircut and big black sunglasses in 1991.[25]
Footnotes
[1] Julien’s Auctions 2025.
[2-3] ibid.
[4] Hall 2011.
[5] Julien’s Auctions 2025.
[6-25] ibid.
Sources
Deborah Hall, House of Versace, House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival, Audiobook version, New York, 2011.
Julien’s Auctions, Princess Diana’s Style & Royal Collection, official website for the auction on 26 June 2025, last accessed on 26 June 2025.
Sources Title Image
Juliens Auction Official Website, Anwar Hussein/Alamy Stock Phots, Photographer Unknown
Disclaimer
This article is based on the personal, views, experiences and research of the author, no fees were received by the organisations and people mentioned above. All information as of the date of publishing/updating.
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