Upcoming Princess Diana–themed auction steals the royal wedding’s thunder

Upcoming Princess Diana–themed auction steals the royal wedding’s thunder

Fan girls and boys will mortgage their homes for frocks (Image: das_sabrinchen)

It is no secret that Canadians are gaga for the monarchy (what other country’s national television station would broadcast the Queen’s coronation in 3-D?), so we weren’t shocked to hear that a collection of Princess Diana’s gowns will be auctioned in Toronto this June.

In 1997, Florida businesswoman Maureen Rorech Dunkel paid $870,000 for 14 dresses formerly belonging to the People’s Princess, and they will be sold at Bathurst Street auction house Waddington’s at the end of June. The fancy frocks are expected to sell for approximately $6,000,000, but those who don’t have half a million dollars (go on, live a little) to spend on vintage can check out the gowns at the Design Exchange prior to auction.

Dunkel chose Toronto because a prior exhibit of the English Rose’s outfits, at The Bay’s Thomson Gallery several years ago, received the show’s best attendance in the world, drawing 1,000 daily viewers. In the jokes-that-write-themselves category, Waddington’s president Duncan McLean predicts John Travolta might be bidding on a sultry evening gown (the one Diana wore when she danced with him at the White House). Six million bucks for some dresses worn two decades ago? We wonder what Camilla’s wardrobe will go for in 20 years.

Princess Diana’s dresses to be auctioned in Toronto [Toronto Star]