Princess Diana was a fashion icon. The beautiful woman popularized both high fashion polka dot dresses and everyday bike shorts. She was able to go from day to night with ease. One of her most iconic looks, a blouse by designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, which she wore in her engagement photos, is now being sold through Julien's Auctions.
The auction house believes this blouse could go for $100,000 or more. It already has one $80,000 bid and the auction has not officially even begun as it opens on December 17, 2023. It is part of a larger collection called TCM Hollywood Legends and includes pieces from Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo.
Ironically, the blouse was never intended to be made at all. Elizabeth, the designer, revealed that it was created out of a ruined dress. "A client had ordered a very pale pink dress, and as she took it off, she got mascara all over it, all over the hem," she explained.
David and Elizabeth made a new skirt for the dress but then had all this leftover material. "We chopped off the bit with the black mascara, and it looked pretty lonely," Elizabeth continued. "So we thought we better make a blouse to go with it." This is the blouse’s origin story.
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The blouse came to Diana through an assortment of clothing options chosen by Vogue editors to help build her royal wardrobe. Diana picked it out herself from among the options and loved it. The luck of the situation is not lost on Elizabeth.
"So actually if that client hadn't got mascara all over it, we wouldn't have made the blouse," Elizabeth mused. "Who knows, we might not have met the princess. It's all down to that bit of mascara."
The blouse would also open even more doors for designers Elizabeth and David. Diana would go on to pick them to create her wedding gown. The final creation featured a 25-foot train and puff sleeves. Diana called to thank them after the big day but Elizabeth cringed at the dress’s wrinkles from the carriage ride.
This is not the first time Diana’s clothing has gone up for auction. In September 2023, three custom-made gowns sold for $1.6 million. One of them was only expected to sell for $60,000 but actually went for $508,000.
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