3 Of Princess Diana's Classic Eighties Ensembles Just Sold For More Than £250k At Auction

Just as Princess Diana will always be remembered for philanthropic work, her innate sense of style will live long in the memory. Is it any wonder, then, that admirers of the late Princess of Wales covet outfits from her iconic wardrobe? Case in point: three of her 1980s ensembles just sold at auction for a combined £262,500 – three times more than expected.

Held at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London on June 17, the daywear ensembles (which come up for auction more rarely than item's from the royal's eveningwear collection) – all worn by the Princess during the ’80s – were auctioned off by a single collector. “Princess Diana was the fashion icon of her time. Every designer dreamed of dressing her,” Kerry Taylor tells Vogue of people’s unwavering fascination with her. “Everywhere she went, be it visiting a hospital [or] walking across a field of land mines, she inspired women of all age and nationalities.”

All of the outfits that went under the hammer were bespoke. A Catherine Walker peach-hued polka dot coat-dress, which Diana wore to the President of the Republic of Turkey’s state visit in 1988, sold for £93,000.

Designed by her wedding dress designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, Diana’s striped sailor-inspired outfit, which she wore during a visit to Bahrain with Prince Charles in 1986, fetched £120,000. Lastly, a pillar-box red Jasper Conran suit (with matching beret) sold for £62,000. The Princess wore the French-inspired ensemble in 1984, for the christening of a cruise liner.