This dress is called ‘Revenge Dress’ because Diana wore it on the night when the TV interview of her husband and then Prince Charles was on air. In this interview, Charles confessed to infidelity during his marriage. Diana changed her pre-planned outfit at the last moment and wore this black dress and caught everyone’s attention with her very confident style. After this, this dress became a symbol of her strong image and confidence.

What does Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ look like?

Diana had this dress made from black silk crepe fabric. The most special part of it was its off-shoulder design, in which the shoulders were clearly visible. The upper part of the dress was made of pleated, i.e. fine folds of cloth, while the lower skirt fit with the shape of the body and moved forward. The skirt of the dress was specially designed at an angle and also had a long flowing trail. That is, when Diana walked wearing it, the back part of the dress was seen waving with her. This bold design was quite different from the royal attire of that time.

Who designed the dress?

This iconic dress of Diana was designed by British fashion designer Christina Stambolian. Interestingly, Diana had this dress for about three years, but she had not worn it in public for a long time. Diana had asked the designer to prepare a dress which would be for a special occasion. Together they created a black silk outfit, which was completely different from the traditional and more strict dressing of the royal family.

After all, why was it called ‘revenge dress’?

The story of this dress is as beautiful as it is interesting. In June 1994, Diana had to go to the Summer Party of the Serpentine Gallery in London. That day, a TV interview of her husband and then Prince Charles was also to be live, in which Charles said that he had cheated Diana. Diana had earlier decided to wear a different dress for this event. But at the last moment she changed her plan and wore this black dress which was kept in the wardrobe for three years. Her style was so different and full of confidence that the next day Diana’s pictures appeared in newspapers all over the world. After this incident, this outfit came to be called ‘revenge dress’. This name later became a part of fashion and pop culture.

What did Diana wear with the dress?

Diana styled this black dress with very beautiful jewellery. She had a multi-layered pearl choker necklace around her neck, with a big sapphire in the middle and diamonds around it. She also wore pearl earrings, sapphire and diamond bracelet. With this she wore a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch and Manolo Blahnik heels. Her entire look made the beauty of the dress more special.

How much will Diana’s dress be auctioned for?

Now this iconic dress is going to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York. Its estimated price has been kept between 1.50 lakh to 3 lakh dollars. If seen in Indian currency, this amount comes to around Rs 1.3 crore to Rs 2.5 crore, although the actual auction price may go higher than this.