The real story behind Princess Diana’s iconic ‘revenge dress’
3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 11, 2026 02:56 PM IST
On June 29, 1994, when Princess Diana stepped out of her car in a black silk figure-hugging number to attend Vanity Fair’s gala at the Serpentine Gallery in London, all heads turned to her. Earlier that night, her then-husband Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery on national television. People thought the princess would stay in and avoid the press and public, but there she was, honouring her scheduled commitment and looking like a million bucks while doing so.
People Magazine reports that Diana dared to defy the unspoken dress code of the “buttoned-up royal family”, instead choosing to make a statement in a custom Christina Stambolian off-the-shoulder black silk dress, featuring an asymmetrical hemline and chiffon train. The media soon dubbed it the “revenge dress”, which went on to become one of pop culture fashion’s most iconic moments in history.
According to Diana: A Life in Dresses by Claudia Joseph, the dress was first commissioned in September 1991. “During a shopping trip to Stambolian’s boutique in Beauchamp Place, Diana had picked up a few pieces and then told the designer, ‘I want a special dress for a special occasion. It doesn’t matter if it is short or long. It has to be something special’,” reports Town&Country Magazine.
In fact, before her appearance at the Serpentine Gallery, the press had leaked that the former Princess of Wales would show up in Valentino. So, Diana took a detour and pulled out the risque Stambolian number from her closet.
Christina Stambolian designed the dress in 1991. (Source: Instagram/@sothebys)
Why is it suddenly in the news?
Three years later, Princess Diana put it up for auction, just about two months before she died in a car crash in Paris. The dress, one of the 79 she sold, went for 65,000 USD, and the money helped cancer and AIDS-related charities. The “revenge dress” was last seen in 2017, when it was displayed in Ireland’s Museum of Style Icons. The exhibition, Diana: A Fashion Legacy, honoured the late princess on the 20th anniversary of her death.
Now years later, the iconic ensemble is all set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York on December 9, 2026. Before arriving in the US, the dress will make pit stops at Sotheby’s locations in London, Hong Kong and Geneva.
According to a press release from auction house Sotheby’s, this is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities. They also mentioned that the house “expects the dress to sell for up to $300,000 (Rs 2,87,07,315)” when it goes under the hammer later this year.
