It’s expected to fetch between $50K-$80K USD.
Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images
Princess Diana was a sartorial icon, one who displayed an ability to pull off everything from make-it-look-effortless athleisure fits that brands are still trying to imitate today to a sultry “revenge dress.” Now, one of Diana’s most famous pieces is headed to the auction block at Sotheby’s: her “Black Sheep” sweater that she wore to one of her then-husband Prince Charles’ polo matches in 1981, thought by many of her adoring fans to be a symbol of her feeling of ostracization from the royal family.
The sweater was produced by knitwear label Warm & Wonderful until it was taken out of circulation in 1994, and, according to W Magazine, Diana was so enamored with it that when she found a tear in her personal sweater she had her secretary reach out to the brand to request another one. Since the Princess wore the sweater, it’s become something of a cult favorite: it’s in the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, actress Emma Corin wore a of it in the fourth season of The Crown on Netflix (shown below), and its designers Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir partnered with Rowing Blazers for a reissue in 2020 as part of the brand’s Diana-inspired collection.
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Until recently, however, the sweater worn by Diana was thought to be lost. Then, Osborne and Muir made a fortuitous discovery. “This past March, as we were rummaging through the attic searching for an old pattern, we spotted a small box,” they said in a statement. “Inside, tucked away beside a cotton bedspread, was Diana’s red sheep sweater from 1981. Now, almost four decades later, this one-of-a-kind sheep sweater is ready to make its way into the hands of a fortunate collector.”
Now, after the discovery, the piece is serving as the crown jewel of Sotheby’s forthcoming Fashion Icons sale and is expected to fetch a price of between $50K-$80K USD.The sale is set to take place this September, but online bidding runs from August 31 to September 13.