Diana’s ‘Travolta’ gown fails to sell at auction
One of Diana, Princess of Wales’s most famous dresses has failed to sell at auction.
The princess wore the midnight-blue, off-the-shoulder, velvet gown by Victor Edelstein when she danced with Hollywood actor John Travolta during a state banquet at the White House given by US President Ronald Reagan in 1985.
Bids on the gown – which Diana originally spotted in burgundy but asked Edelstein to make in blue for her – did not reach the reserve price of £200,000.
A post shared by Kerry Taylor Auctions (@kerrytaylorauctions) on Nov 18, 2019 at 9:49am PST
It had been expected to fetch between £250,000 and £350,000 at the Passion for Fashion sale at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London.
The dress was the star attraction when Diana auctioned off scores of her outfits for charity in 1997, and then went for more than £120,000.
It was last sold at auction in 2013 for £240,000 and bought by an anonymous bidder who said he wanted to surprise his wife.
The princess and Travolta had twirled across the White House dance floor to a medley of Grease and Saturday Night Fever.
The actor described the experience as being “like a fairy tale”.
Two other items from late princess’s wardrobe also formed part of the sale.
A long-sleeved Katherine Cusack evening gown – also midnight-blue velvet – from 1986 went for double what was expected.
It was estimated to sell for between £20,000-£30,000, but was sold for £60,000 including buyers’ premium.
A navy wool dress with wide, white collar by Catherine Walker from 1989, estimated to go for up to £6,000, went for £35,000 including buyers’ premium.
