Outfits, hats and shoes worn by Princess Diana to go on show in Hong Kong exhibition before their auction

Outfits and accessories worn by the late royal will be exhibited in ‘Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection’, at K11 Musea, before being auctioned online

From clothes she wore in Hong Kong to a gown she saw Phantom of the Opera in, the pieces highlight a ‘beautiful, chic lady’ who always made a fashion statement

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Princess Diana wears a navy blue Murray Arbeid dress in London, in 1986. This outfit along with others will feature in “Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection” exhibition at Hong Kong’s K11 Musea. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 7:15am, 16 Apr 2024Updated: 8:03am, 16 Apr 2024

Princess Diana first visited Hong Kong in 1989 and, as usual, her wardrobe came under intense media scrutiny, most notably a white evening gown – sparkling with 20,000 pearls and dubbed the “Elvis” dress – that she wore to the opening of the city’s equally sparkling new Cultural Centre.

Another outfit from her three-day visit to the city was more subdued: a two-piece, yellow-and-navy skirt suit worn on a visit to the new Red Cross headquarters in Wan Chai. She was, after all, a patron of the British Red Cross Youth.

The skirt suit was designed by French-born couturier Catherine Walker, who was behind many of the princess’ iconic looks. After dying in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, aged just 36, Diana was buried in a black dress designed by Walker.

On June 27, a selection of outfits and accessories collectively called “Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection” will be sold in an online auction from Julien’s, the Hollywood auction house often referred to as the “auction house to the stars”. The suit Diana wore at the Red Cross event is part of the collection, and is estimated to fetch between US$30,000 and US$50,000.

Diana and then Prince Charles attend the grand opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1989. Photo: SCMP

But before the auction takes place, Hong Kong will get to see the collection in an exhibition at K11 Musea’s Gold Ball, in Tsim Sha Tsui, from April 18-29. Following this, the collection will be exhibited at the Museum of Style Icons in Ireland from June 11-27.