Princess Diana's iconic "black sheep" sweater is set to be auctioned, with expectations that it could fetch as much as around $80,000, reports Sky News on July 18. The red knit from the label Warm & Wonderful, featuring a lone black sheep amidst white sheep, will be the highlight of Sotheby's Fashion Icons' online sale, taking place from August 31 to September 14.
The sweater gained immense popularity after Diana wore it in June 1981 while watching Prince Charles play polo, just a month before their wedding. The exposure led to the explosion of the Warm & Wonderful label, garnering significant attention and influencing fashion trends in the 1980s.
Earlier this year, one of the brand's founders rediscovered the timeless fashion piece in an attic. It was revealed that Princess Diana had originally written to Warm & Wonderful to repair the sweater after the wrist became damaged. She subsequently received a replacement and was photographed wearing it in 1983 during another polo match with Sarah Ferguson and Prince Charles.
The significance of the sweater to Princess Diana is evident in her request for a replacement and her choice to wear it on multiple occasions. The upcoming auction follows the successful sale of another dress owned by Princess Diana in January, which fetched around $800,000 five times its pre-auction estimate. The funds raised from the dress auction and the collective sales of 79 dresses donated by Princess Diana have contributed over $3 mn to AIDS and cancer organisations.
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