Princess Diana had so many iconic fashion moments that it’s easy to lose count of every time she stepped out in an unforgettable look, but one in particular just broke a major record. Over the weekend, Julien’s Auctions announced that Princess Diana’s ballerina-length Jacques Azagury evening dress sold for $1,148,080.
The late Princess of Wales wore the look on two occasions: once during a 1985 trip to Florence, Italy, and a year later, when she attended the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada. In addition to the dress, which featured a purple skirt and an embellished black drop-waist bodice, the lot also included a sketch of the dress by Azagury, a Moroccan-British fashion designer. The winning bid, People reports, is 11 times more than Julien’s original estimate of $100,000.
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According to Julien’s Auctions, “The dress with padded shoulder pads features a black velvet bodice with embroidered stars in metallic thread made from Jakob Schlaepher fabric with a two-tier royal blue organza skirt with a sash and bow. The ballerina skirt was the perfect nod to Diana’s love of dance and her being a patron of The English National Ballet.”
People notes that the new sale “shatters” a previous record for the most expensive dress worn by Princess Diana to hit the auction block. Earlier this year, a purple evening gown by designer Victor Edelstein sold for $604,800.
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In addition to the purple-and-black dress, Diana’s blush pink chiffon Emanuels blouse — which was featured in her engagement portrait — also sold in the same auction for $381,000.
Recently, five Azagury gowns that were identical to ones worn by Diana were sold to a private collector in Los Angeles, People explains.
“The whole collection means a lot to me, and the only reason I am selling them is because as of five weeks ago, I retired,” the designer told the publication about the pieces at the time of the transaction. “I really wanted people to keep enjoying these iconic dresses and ideally to keep the whole collection together.”
He also noted that Diana was “always very excited by fashion, and she knew she would please so many people just waiting for her to come out in the next dress, whether they were waiting in the streets or watching her on the television. She took a long time making sure that everything was just right, choosing the right shoes and jewelry.”