Featured

Princess Diana – an identical blazer up for auction!

A Turnbull & Asser single-breasted blazer, identical to one worn by Princess Diana in 1988 

labelled, of finely checked wool in shades of green, blue and brown, three pockets, black silk-blend lining, chest approx 96cm, 38in

Provenance: this blazer was given to the vendor by David Quelch, former Managing Director of Burberry, in 1997. At the time, he was responsible for managing all of the orders from the Royal family, and the vendor worked as his secretarial assistant. Upon his retirement, whilst clearing out his office closets- he gifted this item to her, stating that Princess Diana had sent it in, requesting it to be made in a different fabric by Burberry, as she was fond of the style. It has been in the possession of the vendor ever since. The labelling of this blazer indicates that it is ready-to-wear- not a bespoke piece- and subsequently, we have not been able to verify the alleged provenance.

Princess Diana is famously photographed wearing an identical blazer, styled with jeans, cowboy boots, British Lung Foundation charity sweatshirt and baseball cap, at the Guards Polo Club, Windsor, 2ndMay 1988, and also dropping her children off at Wetherby School, Nothing Hill, London, 25th April, 1989. One of her most lauded ‘off-duty’ looks, the outfit was re-interpreted by French Vogue, modeled by Hailey Bieber, for the August 2019 issue.

The Princess is photographed wearing an identical style jacket- but in a different checked fabric, possibly by Burberry, visiting Prince William at Eton College, 21st June, 1996. This supports the vendor’s recollection of provenance.

Credit: https://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com

https://shorturl.at/myzR2

Featured

The Princess Diana Book Boutique is closing January 23, 2023!

After 15 years of much success and interaction with our fans, friends and followers, we have decided to close the boutique on 23 January 2023. If there is anything in the remaining inventory that you would like to make a reasonable offer on please do so as soon as possible. The blog will remain active!

http://www.princessdianabookboutique.com

Our Ebay store will remain open and stocked and you can continue to shop there https://www.ebay.com/mys/active

Please know we have valued your friendship and support all these years and we look forward to your continued presence and interaction on our blog here on WordPress! Thank you!

Featured

New Princess Diana Portrait On Display!

Credit: David Bailey

A striking black-and-white portrait of Princess Diana is going on display at the late royal’s former home of Kensington Palace. 

The image, which was taken by famed photographer David Bailey in the late ’80s, will be part of a new exhibition of portraits of the British royal family.

The picture shows Diana, who died in 1997, appearing “reserved, stoic and looking away from the viewer,” according to the curators at Historic Royal Palaces.

Diana sat for the photo in 1988, when she was around 27 years old. Although it was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, the image was retained by Bailey for his archive and has never been seen in public before.

Diana is said to have chosen Bailey for his “bold minimalism” and was part of her hope to establish a new photographic identity for herself. 

For me, it is the most powerful of images from the sitting,” says curator Claudia Acott Williams. 

The Kensington Palace exhibit, Life Through a Royal Lens, was unveiled on Wednesday and will be open to the public on March 4.

https://people.com/royals/never-before-seen-portrait-of-princess-diana-unveiled-at-her/

Featured

Princess Diana in Canada – A Fashion Perspective!

GRAND TOURS, 1983 AND 1991. From left: Diana at the Cathedral Church of St. James, Toronto, during the 1991 tour (Photo: David Levenson/GettyImages); At a farewell banquet in Edmonton (Photo: Kent Gavin/Mirrorpix/Getty Images); With Prince Charles at Fort Edmonton Park in Klondike-era fancy dress (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages); Mingling with the crowd in Shelburne, N.S, Grand Tour, 1983 (Photo: David Levenson/GettyImages); At the Festival of Youth, St. John’s (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages)
ROYAL CANADIAN WALKABOUT, 1983. From left: Diana making her official visit to Ottawa; At a formal dinner in Saint John, N.B.; During her trip to Prince Edward Island; Diana celebrates her 22nd birthday on Canada Day in Edmonton; At an official dinner given by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (seen behind Diana) in Halifax (Photos: Tim Graham/GettyImages); Pretty in pink in St. John’s (Photo: Anwar Hussein/GettyImages); Attending a reception at Rideau Hall in Ottawa given by Governor General Edward Schreyer (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages)
THE WORLD COMES TO CANADA, 1986. Clockwise from top black and white: With Bryan Adams (Photo: CP Images); In pill-box-hat at Swy-A-Lana Park, Nanaimo (Photo: Anwar Hussein/GettyImages); At an Expo ’86 gala (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages); In St. John’s for the 400th anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador’s founding as a colony (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages); On walkabout in Victoria (Photo: John Shelley Collection); At Expo ’86 (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages); In Kamloops, B.C. (Photo: Princess Diana Archive); At the World Festival Of Arts Opera, Vancouver (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages); At a state dinner in Vancouver, host city for Expo ’86 (Photo: Tim Graham/GettyImages)
THE FAMILY AFFAIR, 1991 Clockwise from left: Diana in hat (Photo: Tony Bock/GettyImages); With Prince Charles and guests including Galen and Hilary Weston at a gala dinner at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel (Photo: Mirrorpix); In Ottawa, at the National Arts Centre (Photo: Anwar Hussein); With her sons Prince William and Prince Harry on the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls (Tim Graham/GettyImages); In Toronto for a performance of Les Misérables (Photo: Bill Becker/CP Images); Arriving in Toronto, Moschino suit (Photo: Anwar Hussein/GettyImages) All is via everythingzoomer
 
Featured

Rare portrait of Princess Diana sells for $201,600

A portrait of the late Princess Diana has sold for more than 10 times its expected sale price, Sotheby’s auction house announced. The oil piece, titled “Diana, Princess of Wales,” was painted in 1994 by the late American artist Nelson Shanks. Sotheby’s said it was expected to fetch up to $20,000 but it sold for $201,600. 

The rare painting is a head study of Diana that was created during the start of her full-length portrait. Artists sometimes use head studies to perfect the emotions and perspectives of their subject’s face. 

While the picture shows the princess with the same “downcast eyes” and a “thoughtful expression” included in her full length-portrait, her green halter dress was later changed to a white blouse for the final, larger project, according to Sotheby’s.  via cbs.com

Featured

Diana Sweater Pullover Patterns!

Our website us back up and running! Here are the patterns! http://www.princessdianabookboutique.com/store/products/details/?product=3040

Our website is down for repairs. We will let you know when it is back up! If you are looking for something in particular please let us know and we will create a listing on one of our other selling sites! We just listed the sweater patterns today!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224440433535?hash=item3441b13b7f:g:efUAAOSwXe9ghz26

Featured

Princess Diana and The Warm & Wonderful Sheep Sweater

Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne designed and made the pullover in the early 1980’s and originally sold it from their market stall at Covent Garden. They were completely unaware of Diana owning one until pictures of the future royal bride showed up in the press in the summer of 1981.

Sally Muir said Princess Diana had never come to the shop. “When we saw the pictures we thought ‘Wow, that’s amazing’, Muir stated, ‘but we weren’t credited and it wasn’t an overnight success . . . It was different back then – designers weren’t nearly as calculating.” Below are their original advertisements.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233624011445

Featured

Perfect for cold weather! The Warm & Wonderful Sheep Sweater Pullover! The Original Diana Brand!


The famous Warm and Wonderful sheep sweater – now part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s permanent collection – depicts a lone black sheep among a herd of white, and was interpreted as a sartorial message from the young Diana when she wore it shortly after her engagement to Prince Charles was announced.

Designed by Warm & Wonderful and sold originally in London, it was a favourite of the Sloane Ranger set in 1979-1980. The style spawned countless copies around the world. The sweater, below in the last photo is an original replica from the 1980’s in the color burgundy/plum.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/825335741/princess-diana-look-a-like-warm?epik=dj0yJnU9OTFRZHVvQ0FMVzdiWlpXbWctLUhUUHdPZEtpV0VtY0kmcD0wJm49YkFFZmE1bC12cHNPNlBacThCbER5dyZ0PUFBQUFBRi1Gempr

Featured

A look at Princess Diana’s 1980’s fashion; Benny Ong

imageimageimageimageimage

 

 

 

image

image

The Peruvian Inca Sweater and fashion designer Benny Ong along with Benetton gave her that signature look.  Note the open back Benetton T shirt above she bought in the London store in 1983 pictured above.

Ong designed her walkabout dress for The Ayer’s Rock tour in Australia.   The white dress was part of his Sunday Sketches Collection.  Royal Fashion was all the rage in August 1983 fashion magazines in the UK and worldwide.  One such magazine cover is here in this post

image

by

The Attallah Cross worn by Princess Diana is up for auction!

In the photos here, Diana is wearing the Attallah Cross to a charity ball in aid of Birthright, the women’s health charity of which she became patron in 1984. The event was held at former crown jeweler Garrard’s premises on Regent Street, and as usual, Diana was the belle of the ball. It was a particularly appropriate choice on this occasion, since the cross is believed to have been created in the early 20th century by Garrard itself. Little is known about the Renaissance-style design, but it was likely a special commission—perhaps even a replica of a historical piece. 

The elaborate gold, silver, amethyst, and diamond pendant will come up for auction next month at Sotheby’s London as part of its upcoming Royal and Noble sale, making it one of the few jewels worn by the Princess to ever be sold at auction. “It’s a standout piece in its own right, but with Princess Diana having worn it, it truly becomes an iconic piece of jewelry,” says Kristian Spofforth, head of jewelry at Sotheby’s in London. Bidding for the piece opens on 6 January, with a guide price of £80,000 to £120,000. But Spofforth suspects, given its provenance, it could potentially fetch far more. “Twenty-five years after her death, people still talk about Princess Diana all the time,” he says, adding that at Sotheby’s tiara exhibition earlier this year, many visitors were moved to tears by the display of the rarely seen Spencer Tiara, which Diana wore on her wedding day.

excerpted from Vogue article: https://www.vogue.com/article/princess-diana-jewelry-attallah-cross/amp