They swished past dignitaries in Paris, brushed against princes in London, sashayed with film stars at the White House, and came out of the closet for charity.
Seventy-nine of Diana's gowns and cocktail dresses sold for an average of $41,250 at an auction at Christie's on Wednesday night, raising nearly $3.26 million for AIDS and cancer charities.Dresses in ivory satin, black taffeta and forest green sequins set bidders' paddles waving, but none generated Wednesday night fever like the midnight blue number Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the Reagan White House.
The elegant, form-fitting velvet gown was bought by an anonymous American garment executive for $222,500, making it the highest-priced royal castoff.
The bid was a record for a costume at auction, surpassing the $145,000 paid in 1995 for the white disco suit Travolta wore in the film "Saturday Night Fever," according to Christie's International chairman Charles Hindlip.
"We are thrilled with the results. It was more than we expected to raise," Hindlip said. "We were in new territory with this sale, and we didn't know how generous the audience would be."
The sale of the princess' pricey discards was the most talked-about celebrity auction since Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' heirlooms were offered to bidders in April 1996. The Onassis auction, sales of its catalog and two benefit receptions raised $5.76 million for charity, Hindlip said.
It was not clear how many buyers actually intended to wear Diana's castoffs. The gowns were custom-made and have no formal sizes but are roughly equivalent to an American size 6 or 8.