Princess Diana’s ‘Black Sheep’ Sweater Sells for $1.1 M. at Sotheby’s

A famed red sweater that was worn by Princess Diana sold for $1.14 million at a recent Sotheby’s auction. The colorful jumper, which depicts one black sheep among a crowd of white ones, headlined an online sale called “Fashion Icons.”

The final amount for the sweater blasted past its high estimate of $80,000 and far exceeded the previous record for a garment worn by the former Princess of Wales. That amount was $604,800, more than six times its high estimate, for a deep purple strapless gown designed by Victor Edelstein that was also sold by Sotheby’s in January.

The knitted garment worn by Diana was created by British designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne for the pair’s brand Warm & Wonderful. Diana wore the sweater in June 1981 at a polo match, shortly after she and Prince Charles announced their engagement.

According to Sotheby’s, coverage of Diana wearing the wool item was “the advertisement of a lifetime” for the two-year-old company, and was later credited as giving the small business a “stratospheric launch.” The design was so popular that the American clothing brand Rowing Blazers reissued a cotton version in 2020. It was also featured in the television show The Crown.

Interest in items worn by Diana has skyrocketed, with a rare amethyst cross necklace auctioned by Sotheby’s in London earlier this year. A representative for Kim Kardashian beat four other bidders on the necklace, dubbed the Attallah Cross, worn by Diana at a charity event in October 1987. It sold for £163,800 ($200,000).