When you think of iconic pieces of clothing, a few dresses immediately spring to mind. The first dress to spring to mind might be Marilyn Monroe’s famous white dress in the infamous subway grate scene from The Seven Year Itch. Or you might think of J. Lo’s plunging, green Versace gown from the 2000s Grammy Awards (a dress so iconic that it led to the invention of Google Images!). But for many, the first dress to spring to mind would be none other than Princess Diana’s ‘Revenge Dress’. And you can see it in person, for a very limited time, at a special exhibition in London.
The dress recently went on show at Sotheby’s London, and curious fans can visit to see the dress in person for free. You’ll have to act fast, though, because the dress is only on display until September 24. That only gives you a few days to see it. (We reckon it’s well worth calling in sick to work for…)
The dress has gone on show in London, and will subsequently also be exhibited in Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York. Following these displays, the dress will go to auction in New York, on December 9, as part of Sotheby’s Luxury Week.
Diana, Princess of Wales, wore the now legendary black silk evening dress to an event at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994. The dress, which was designed by Christina Stambolian, took on infamous status as a silent act of ‘revenge’ from Diana. She wore the outfit on the same evening that her husband, the now King Charles, admitted to adultery on national television.
The Revenge Dress exhibition dates
Following its display in London, the dress will go on tour around the world ahead of the auction. It will be on display in the following cities for a limited time only:
- London: September 18 – September 24
- Hong Kong: October 1 – October 15
- Geneva: November 6 – November 11
- New York: December 2 – December 8
- Auction: 9 December
The dress is expected to fetch between $150,000-300,000 (£110,000-220,000) at auction.
This event will be the first time the dress has gone to auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses at auction to raise funds to benefit cancer and AIDS charities. In keeping with that charitable spirit, some of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
👗 Find out more about the ‘Revenge Dress’ auction here.
📍 You can see the dress on display at Sotheby’s London, 34-35 New Bond Street, Bond Street, W1A 2AA.
🚇 The nearest stations are Bond Street and Oxford Circus.
