Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Whatever happened to Princess Diana's White Lace Coat dress by Catherine Walker?

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Diana never failed to impress with the clothes she wore on official visits. She wore two stunning evening gowns during her visit to France in 1988. This is one of them. 

Described in the auction catalogue as 'An Evening Coat-Dress by Catherine Walker:
The dress is full-length and double breasted. I tis of white lace, embroidered overall in flowers of blue silk and white sequins. The lace embroidery is mounted on white shantung and the dress is lined with white silk. It has self-covered and sequinned buttons. The cuffs are also trimmed with buttons. 
Princess Diana specially commissioned this dress for her trip to France, where she wore it during a dinner hosted by the Minister of Culture, at the Chateau de Chambord. She also wore it to the Royal Opera House in June 1989. 

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Catherine Walker gives more insight into the design:
I chose white lace for this commission because it was a texture common at the court of Versailles, but I tailored it into a modern shame. Given the Princess's sense of panache I really do not know anyone else who could carry off this long sheath of glittering, icy embroidery in quite the way she did.
During this event she also met HSH Princess Caroline of Monaco (Later HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover). Interestingly enough, Princess Caroline, (daughter of Princess Grace of Monaco) had been a speculated bride for Prince Charles in the late 1970s. In 1983, Diana attended her mother's funeral. It was her first solo trip as a member of the royal family.

Lot 53 at the Christie's auction was purchased by Barbara O'Neill from Georgia for $27,600. In 2011 it was sold by Kerry Taylor auctions to the Museo de la Mode in Chile. The museum boasts the largest private collection of Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe clothes. 

© Marilyn Braun 2020 

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

Sources

Christie's auction catalogue: DRESSES from the Collection of Diana, Princess of Wales
Catherine Walker - An Autobiography by The Private Couturier to Diana, Princess of Wales
Kerry Taylor Auction Catalogue - 17th March 2011


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