HONG KONG – Shoulder-padded, daffodil yellow and accented with gleaming gold buttons – a very of-its-time suit Princess Diana wore during her 1989 trip to Hong Kong – is now among six outfits on display in the former British colony.
The collection of dresses, shoes and handbags – some of which are familiar fashion moments from the Princess of Wales – is part of a 12-day exhibit at a Hong Kong mall that launched on April 18.
They will then be on display in Ireland at another exhibit before going on auction on June 27.
“She made a fashion statement every time she got dressed and went out the door,” Mr Martin Nolan, executive director of California-based Julien’s Auctions, said.
The yellow suit, designed by Ms Catherine Walker, is estimated to fetch up to US$50,000 (S$68,000) – a fraction of the US$400,000 that a midnight blue, star-embellished tulle gown is expected to bring at the auction block.
Princess Diana wore the show-stopping number designed by Mr Murray Arbeid to the 1986 Phantom Of The Opera premiere in London’s West End.
Visitors milled about the small, pop-up space on April 18, pausing every once in a while to take a closer read of an outfit’s history.
Remembering Princess Diana’s visit in 1989, an elderly shopper surnamed Fung said the streets of Hong Kong were crowded with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the glamourous royal.
The 65-year-old added that the city’s affection for her went beyond the usual fanfare for other British royals.
“Diana was charismatic, caring and devoted to charity. That’s why a lot of Hong Kongers respected her,” Madam Fung said.
Other notable items included a Victor Edelstein-designed silk and lace evening dress, as well as a pink floral Catherine Walker dress, which Princess Diana wore in 1991 when she kept bedside vigil beside her close friend, Mr Adrian Ward-Jackson.
The pieces are all “tangible assets and great conversation pieces”, said Mr Nolan, given that people still find Princess Diana relatable more than two decades after she died in a tragic car crash.
“People are still in love with Diana as if she was with us today, and that’s the amazing thing about it,” he said.
In 2023, Julien’s Auctions sold one of Princess Diana’s evening dresses for US$1.14 million, breaking records and showing that collectors’ interest remained undimmed.
Even for the younger generation, Princess Diana looms large in pop culture, said Kathleen, a digital marketer in her 20s, who reckons that might be in part due to Netflix’s hit series The Crown.
And her style might be coming back in vogue, she told AFP.
“It ties together fashion and history,” Kathleen, who only gave her first name, said of the exhibit.
“It’s different from just seeing photos.” AFP
