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Diana’s ‘Travolta’ gown fails to sell at auction

The princess wore the dress to a state dinner at the White House in 1985.

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Diana, Princess of Wales's dresses

One of Diana, Princess of Wales’s most famous dresses has failed to sell at auction.

The princess wore the midnight-blue, off-the-shoulder, velvet gown by Victor Edelstein when she danced with Hollywood actor John Travolta during a state banquet at the White House given by US President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Bids on the gown – which Diana originally spotted in burgundy but asked Edelstein to make in blue for her – did not reach the reserve price of £200,000.

It had been expected to fetch between £250,000 and £350,000 at the Passion for Fashion sale at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London.

The dress was the star attraction when Diana auctioned off scores of her outfits for charity in 1997, and then went for more than £120,000.

It was last sold at auction in 2013 for £240,000 and bought by an anonymous bidder who said he wanted to surprise his wife.

The auction
Auctioneer Kerry Taylor conducts bidding on the midnight blue Victor Edelstein gown which did not meet the reserve price (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The princess and Travolta had twirled across the White House dance floor to a medley of Grease and Saturday Night Fever.

The actor described the experience as being “like a fairy tale”.

Two other items from late princess’s wardrobe also formed part of the sale.

Diana's dresses
Diana’s ‘Travolta’ gown (centre) with Katherine Cusack dress (right) and the Catherine Walker day dress (left) (David Mirzoeff/PA)

A long-sleeved Katherine Cusack evening gown – also midnight-blue velvet – from 1986 went for double what was expected.

It was estimated to sell for between £20,000-£30,000, but was sold for £60,000 including buyers’ premium.

A navy wool dress with wide, white collar by Catherine Walker from 1989, estimated to go for up to £6,000, went for £35,000 including buyers’ premium.

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