Princess Diana’s red sweater with a flock of sheep patter is likely to sell for more than $50,000 at auction. The sweater, which shows a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones, will be auctioned in September at Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale. Princess Diana wore the sweater during a polo match in June 1981, when she was 19 years old. She had then just been engaged to then-Prince Charles.
As Princess Diana became a style symbol and one of the world’s most photographed ladies, the sweater’s designers, Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, were also recognized. The sweater was part of their small knitwear label Warm & Wonderful. Later, the designers got an official letter from Buckingham Palace stating that Princess had damaged the sweater and asked whether it could possibly be fixed or replaced.
The original was later returned with a sleeve that had been damaged. The designers speculated that snagging on Princess Diana’s diamond engagement ring may have led to the damage. Diana attended a function in 1983 wearing a brand-new sweater that had been made and sent to her, along with white jeans and a black ribbon tie.
The sweater is worth between $50,000 and $80,000. It will be on edisplay at Sotheby’s New York showroom from September 7-13 while online bidding opens on August 31 and runs to September 14, Sotheby informed.