Diana was known for reworking her gowns to modernize and make them fresh again. Catherine Walker's pale blue chiffon and lace evening gown started out as a sleeved gown for an official trip to Qatar in 1986, and a state banquet for King Hassan of Morocco at Claridge's Hotel in July 1987. By 1989, it had been altered into a strapless gown. She wore it on several occasions after that, to a performance of Moulin Rouge at the Savoy Hotel in March 1989 and a state banquet in Cameroon in March 1990.
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Lot #18 is described in the auction catalogue as 'An Eggshell Blue Chiffon and Lace Evening Dress.
The bodice pointed in pale blue lace, trimmed with ribbon work flowers and pearlized sequins on pale blue satin. The dress, which is draped at the hips with pale blue silk chiffon and pearlized sequins, falls to a demi train at the back, with two trailing ties.
Like the Elvis dress, this was bought by a company that makes commemorative items. Michael and Fredericka Lam, founders of The Great American Doll company bid on this dress with the purpose of using it for a limited edition Princess Diana doll they had created. It sold for $36,800, and was picked up from Christie's in a Brinks Armoured truck.
But the dress was almost destroyed. In 2000, the owners announced a charitable appeal, hoping to raise $100 million to benefit children in Third World countries. They planned to accomplish this by cutting the dress into four million, 2mm square fragments, and selling them for $25 each. The fabric pieces would be sold with their $225 Princess Diana doll or on its own as a numbered quantity "Princess Plaque". This would come with a Certificate of Authenticity. They also offered a parallel private sale or 'save the dress' option to buy the dress intact before being dismantled. According to The Great American Doll Company website, the main purpose of this 'ingenious plan' was to:
..generate an awareness of the plight of the world's children through one of the most profound, moving and admired individuals of the late Twentieth Century. Besides what we achieve from our cutting up and sale of this single dress, we expect to generate, through publicity and word of mouth and through the internet, a much larger interest and need for active participation in the real needs of the Twenty-First Century.
Unsurprisingly, this plan generated global media coverage. But after three days of press, the offer was withdrawn for undisclosed purposes. Instead, it was sold to a private collector. The initial plan may have raised awareness, but it did not raise one penny.
I have traced the dress to Jess and Suzanne King. At the original auction, Mr. King discouraged his wife from bidding on dresses. Instead he bought dresses for her as gifts; with the caveat they be used to do good, rather than stay in a closet. She founded the national Pink Ribbons Crusade, which raises money for breast cancer charities through her Diana exhibits. An avid collector of royal memorabilia, Ms. King has created various travelling exhibits to raise money for charity, including one boasting 26 of the 79 gowns, the largest reunion of auctioned dresses. The collection most recently appeared on the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, California. The exhibit, Diana: Legacy of a Princess, ended its run in January 2019. She has also loaned dresses to Kensington Palace for their royal fashion exhibits.
Sources:
Di Dress Makes Cut For Collector's Biz
Reuters - Princess Diana dress to be cut up for charity
The Great American Doll Company Diana Dress
The Hem of Her Garment
Pink Ribbons Crusade
New Princess Diana dresses to be displayed at Queen Mary exhibit
© Marilyn Braun 2020
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