Blouse worn by Princess Diana for engagement portrait could fetch €90,000 at auction
The blouse was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who also designed Diana’s wedding gown
A blouse worn by Princess Diana for her engagement portrait is expected to sell for thousands of pounds at an auction. Photo: Getty
Diana's pink crepe blouse is expected to fetch up to €91,000. Photo: Julien's Auctions
Elizabeth Emanuel says Diana fell in love with the blouse when she saw it. Photo: Getty
An outfit worn by Audrey Hepburn is also going under the hammer. Photo: Norman Parkinson
A blouse worn by Princess Diana for her engagement portrait is expected to sell for close to €100,000 at an auction.
The pink crepe blouse with loose pleats to the front, was worn by the late Princess of Wales during a portrait captured by royal photographer Lord Snowdon in 1981.
The top will be available to purchase as part of Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies’ Hollywood Legends auction, where it is expected to bring in up to $100,000 (€91,000).
Diana's pink crepe blouse is expected to fetch up to €91,000. Photo: Julien's Auctions
The blouse, “with ruffle collar, peasant-style sleeves with ruffled cuffs and satin ribbon that ties under the collar into a bow”, was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel who went on to design Princess Diana's wedding gown.
Elizabeth Emanuel spoke about Diana’s first encounter with the garment in her book A Dress for Diana: “When she saw our blouse on the rack she fell in love with it, asked who had made it and was directed to us.”
Elizabeth Emanuel says Diana fell in love with the blouse when she saw it. Photo: Getty
The blouse was later sold in 2010 and previously appeared on display at Kensington Palace for an exhibition from 2017 to 2019.
According to Juliens Auction, the event, titled Glamour, Grace & Greatness: Classic Hollywood Auction, includes a “collection of some of the most head-turning and star-making pieces of the greatest style icons of all time”.
The auction will be held in Beverly Hills and on the auction website on Sunday 17 December.
Another staple set for auction is Diana’s ballerina-length evening dress designed by Moroccan-British fashion designer Jacques Azagury for the Princess of Wales and worn in Florence, Italy, on April 23, 1985.
An outfit worn by Audrey Hepburn is also going under the hammer. Photo: Norman Parkinson
The dress with padded shoulder pads features a black velvet bodice with embroidered stars in a metallic thread made from Jakob Schlaepher fabric with a two-tier royal blue organza skirt with a sash and bow, the auction website says.
The dress is estimated to be worth between $100,000-200,000 (€91,000 to €182,000).
The auction also features other Hollywood star’s clothes, including a Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1963 comedy Charade; a sleeveless gown worn by Gloria Swanson in 1950 noir film Sunset Boulevard; and Barbra Streisand’s sailor dress from a 1960s special called My Name Is Barbra.
Prices up to $50,000 (€45,000) have been estimated for these items.
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