“Diana and her sense of style—she knew how to dress, and when to dress, and she could read the room and know what would be appreciated most,” Nolan says. “She wore that dress on many occasions visiting sick children in hospitals, because they loved the colors, and it made her feel approachable and huggable. It wasn’t a very ostentatious gown. It was just a very beautiful, colorful, nicely fitted dress.”
Another item for auction, a sexy cocktail dress, signified Diana’s new independence in the latter part of her life. “After the marriage fell apart, you see the dimples between the neckline, showing the arms, the dresses above the knee, starting with probably the revenge dress, which is world famous,” Nolan notes.
The sale also includes personal items, such as notes and cards that Diana sent religiously. “Diana was a very personable person; if someone wrote to her, she would write back,” Nolan says. “She was sending nice handwritten notes to people that surrounded her, her support staff, the people who worked with her. She treated everyone just so graciously, and with humility, and kindness, and it just shows that she cared.”
Though Princess Diana headlines the auction, it also includes items owned by Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, two style icons in their own right. “When you think about the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth, they always dressed in the beautiful bright colors,” he says. “They had their own dress makers, and…it was always the hat, and there was always the coat and dress…and then the handbag.”
Also on offer are items owned by the scandalous and rebellious Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The numerous treasures owned by the glamorous, fashion-forward Duke and Duchess have had a storied history since their deaths. In 1987, a Sotheby’s auction of the Duchess’s iconic jewelry collection in Geneva made history, raking in $50 million, with bidders including Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins.
“She wasn’t necessarily the best-looking lady, but I would say that she was the best dressed,” Nolan says of the Duchess of Windsor. “She dressed really well, elegantly, classily, beautifully.”
Items for auction will go on a mini-world tour before the main event. Starting May 1, the collection will be on view at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, before traveling to the Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Ireland, and will also be shown in London. At these events, the general public will have the opportunity to view the collection items before they are sold to those lucky enough to afford a piece of royal history.
