There is a strong tradition of Royalty in Scottish life. For generations, the royal family has enjoyed time at their estate in Balmoral and the Queen spends much of her summers there. At Balmoral, she finally gets the chance to relax and enjoy time away from the spotlight. During that time, the royals dress in their finery and hold an annual Ghilles Ball. This dress was made in 1990 for Scottish dancing and I can well imagine Diana, in this dress, trying to keep up with the Queen Mother while doing the Eightsome reel. But in February 1991, she also wore it to the Guildhall to support the The Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Centre.
Lot 33 was designed by Catherine Walker and is described in the auction catalogue as A long dress for Scottish Dancing.
The long-sleeved black velvet bodice is piped in scarlet velvet with a square neckline. The waist and cuffs are cut to a point as is the bust-line. The full skirt is of green black and red silk in a plaid design, worn over a black organza and black tulle petticoat embroidered with tulle flowers.
It was originally purchased at the Christie's auction for $46,000 by Maureen Rorech Dunkle, who bought 14 dresses at the auction. She created a Dresses For Humanity tour to raise funds for charity. In 2011 she declared bankruptcy and the dresses were auctioned at Waddington's Auction House in Toronto. However, only four of the dresses sold. The remaining 10 dresses were auctioned by Kerry Taylor Auction House in 2013.
This dress is not included in the catalogue for the Kerry Taylor auction, which leads me to believe it was one of the dresses sold at Waddingtons. I'm not certain who purchased it in Toronto but I believe the current owner is Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile.
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
My Decade With Diana by Maureen Rorech Dunkle
Christie's auction catalogue: DRESSES from the Collection of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana's Dresses - Dresses for Humanity Exhibition catalogue
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