Keeping the momentum going after the $1.14 million sale of Princess Diana’s 1985 Jacques Azagury evening dress in December, California-based Julien’s Auctions has presented a touring exhibit showcasing some of her most photographed apparel and accessories.
Following stops in Hong Kong, New York and Ireland, the collection of dresses, suits, hats, bags, shoes, as well as letters and holiday cards, landed at The Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, where the auction will be held on Thursday.
“Julien’s has a great history with consigners that are huge Princess Diana collectors and certainly off of the success of the sale, we were able to elicit a lot more excitement and people who came to us saying that they wanted to participate in a really special auction, which was also how we were able to amass more property,” explained Gabriela Schwartz, head of fashion and talent relations at Julien’s Auctions.
It’s the largest curated collection of Princess Diana’s personal items since her 1997 auction, according to Schwartz.
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“We now have 50 pieces of Diana’s in the whole collection, because we do have royal pieces as well,” Schwartz continued. “It’s about 200 lots. And I would say it’s about 25 to 30 of dresses, hats, shoes.”
The standout in apparel is a strapless, midnight blue Murray Arbeid tulle grown adorned with silver stars, estimated between $200,000 and $400,000. It was worn by Princess Diana twice in 1986, at the premiere of “The Phantom of the Opera” in London and at a dinner at Claridge’s for King Constantine of Greece, and a third time in 1997 for her charity auction.
Princess Diana was often photographed in the same looks through the years. “In her pioneering style, not only was that very sustainable for her to do in the ’80s and early ’90s, but also it really supported the fashion economy,” Schwartz said. “It was marketing and press and awareness for designers and designers that were up and coming and emerging. So, I think that that was her commitment to fashion and her commitment to using her platform to help people around her.”
Other designers featured include frequent Princess Diana collaborators Catherine Walker, Caroline Charles and Victor Edelstein. Among the accessories are hats designed by royal milliner Philip Somerville, including a cream and red lacquered straw wide-brim hat worn in Australia in 1985 and a yellow-black felted wool turban worn in Berlin in 1987. Shoes are by Rayne London, the royal shoe manufacturer, Salvatore Ferragamo and Kurt Geiger — offering the most striking, a jeweled emerald-colored satin heel with a multicolor crystal bow, estimated between $2,000 and $4,000.
“She was the people’s princess, and she really cared about being charitable and learning about other people’s cultures and traveling the world that we felt that it was appropriate and it made sense to travel the world with her and to go to places where she was celebrated and that she had impact,” Schwartz said. “Now we’re in Beverly Hills.”
