The Lady Di wardrobe is still much sought after today. So when an auction is organized to sell the emblematic “Caring Dress”, everyone jumps on the occasion!
Princess Diana was known for many things, including her generosity and her sense of style. It is not for nothing that she deserved her title of “Queen of Hearts” (queen of hearts). The deceased princess was very involved in charitable works, often visiting the patients, especially children. Whenever she visited them, she wore the same dress. And it is not only because she loved it! Indeed, she realized that this outfit was very popular with children.
In an interview with US Weekly in June 2021, Matthew Storey, curator of the Royal Style in the Making, explained that “Diana knew that the children really reacted to this dress. Children love bright colors. This is why she often wore it when she was going to visit children, and in particular sick children“.
This is the day dress in blue Chinese crêpe with a pastel floral print by Bellville Sassoon. Originally designed for the 1988 Australian tour, Diana continued to wear it until 1992. She brought it to many occasions – official visits, public appearances and, of course, visits to the hospital – until being renamed “Caring Dress”.
There was no custom for a member of the royal family to bring the same outfit several times. The press was even frustrated, because people did not know if the images were new or reused. On July 21, 1992, the Daily Mail published an article on this specific model, entitled “Very Endearing, Very Entring“(very endearing, very lasting). The title was as follows:”Does that mean anything to you? Yes, it’s still this dress“.
Even today, this dress continues to arouse admiration. On June 26, Julien’s Auctions organized a large sale of nearly 200 lots of objects belonging to Lady Di in Los Angeles. And the dress was one of them!
Estimated between $ 200,000 and $ 300,000, she finally reached the modest sum of $ 520,000 after 9 auctions. The happy elected official did not hide her joy and the video of her success has toured social networks.
It is not the first time that the princess of Wales has exceeded the estimates. The previous auctions organized in the United Kingdom in 2023 reported nearly $ 6 million!
