In 1997 Diana donated 79 dresses for a charity auction at the suggestion of her son Prince William. Handled by Christies, who produced a catalogue with Diana modelling each dress photographed for the occasion by Lord Snowdon, the auction proved to be the fashion hand-me-down sale of the century. 1,100 hopefuls at Christies New York auction house vied with telephone bidders from around the world for each dress, raising $3.2 million. Catalogue sales and related revenue combined to produce a colossal total of $6 million for charity that evening on June 26, just two months before Diana's tragic death.
The largest collection of twenty was purchased by Maureen Rorech, from Tampa Florida. After Diana's untimely death, Maureen launched the charity Foundation 'Dresses for Humanity' to continue the legacy of Diana's humanitarian efforts. The dresses have been on a four year world tour ending last December in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City. This tour has raised over $1 million for women's and children's charities.
Having helped to raise a total of $7 million for charity, 14 dresses will now be pensioned off from the Foundation collection to go ondisplay at Kensington Palace. Diana and the Prince of Wales lived there in the early days of their marriage and Diana was given an apartment and offices there as a part of her divorce settlement. The dresses are creations by a number of Diana's favourite designers, including Murray Arbeid, Victor Edelstein, Bruce Oldfield, Zandra Rhodes, and Catherine Walker.
Among the dresses now being prepared for display is auction lot 79, knocked down to Maureen for $222,500. This is the famous 'Travolta Dress' worn by Diana in 1984 to the White House dinner hosted by President Reagan, at which she danced with John Travolta.
Another, lot 46, ($25,000), was designed for wear by the Princess at Buckingham Palace functions. Diana was photographed in this cream coloured two piece Catherine Walker ensemble by the late Terence Donovan, who took some fifteen portraits of the Princess. A similarly striking two-piece ensemble in pink silk by the designer was created for Diana's 1992 official visit to India and will be among the highlights at Kensington Palace.
The Kensington Collection provides a fascinating and colourful exhibition of ceremonial dresses and court uniforms though nine reigns. It dates back to the 18th century and King George III, who with his granddaughter Queen Victoria and her great-great granddaughter are the only three British monarchs to celebrate a Golden Jubilee on the throne. As well as ceremonial dress, the collection includes Queen Victoria's wedding dress for her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace, and s some fifty of The Queen's dresses. These were designed by her chosen couturiers Sir Norman Hartnell, Sir Hardy Amies and Ian Thomas, (who made their names from their court association), for wear on official occasions at home and at the thousands of events scheduled into Her 100 official Royal Visits that she has undertaken overseas as Head of State.
 |
 |
