Response to her husband's betrayal. 13 million viewers and one dress

Response to her husband's betrayal. 13 million viewers and one dress

On June 29, 1994, he made history in the British royal family and world pop culture. On that day, Prince Charles, today King Charles III, publicly admitted to adultery in a television program watched by as many as 13 million viewers. At the same time, his wife, Princess Diana, appeared at a party at London's Serpentine Gallery. Her outfit immediately attracted the attention of the media and public opinion.

The dress, designed by Christina Stambolian, was black, fitted, with bare shoulders and a bold, short line. Diana paired it with black stilettos, a clutch bag, red nail polish and a spectacular jeweled necklace made from an old brooch that she received on her wedding day from the Queen Mother, as Queen Elizabeth II's mother was called.

“She wanted to look like a million dollars.” The birth of "revenge dressing"

This outfit was supposed to hang in Diana's wardrobe for three years. That day, she chose it instead of the traditional Valentino dress, breaking royal protocol - at that time, black was reserved only for funerals.

According to stylist Anna Harvey, who helped Diana prepare for the evening, "she wanted to look like a million dollars." The effect exceeded expectations - Diana not only dazzled everyone present, but also forever changed the way fashion is perceived.

The dress was immediately dubbed the "revenge dress" by the media and initiated the phenomenon of "revenge dressing" - fashion that expresses strength, independence and a new chapter in a woman's life.

From a private closet under the hammer at Sotheby's. Will there be another million?

In 1997, just months before her tragic death, Diana auctioned her "revenge dress" for charity to raise funds to fight breast cancer and AIDS. The creation was then sold for £39,098, which is equivalent to almost £100,000 today. Since then, it has remained in the hands of the family that acquired it at that auction, and has only been displayed at a few charity events.

Now, for the first time in almost 30 years, the dress is back on the market. Sotheby's estimates its value at £110,000-220,000 (up to $300,000). It will be shown in London, Hong Kong and Geneva before it goes under the hammer on December 9 in New York.

Previous auctions of Diana-related items have broken price records - her black sheep sweater sold for over $1.1 million in 2023, and another, lesser-known dress fetched $604,800. Experts have no doubt that the "revenge dress" can break further records.