Million-dollar sweater: Bids pour in for Diana's sheep jumper

Million-dollar sweater: Bids pour in for Diana's sheep jumper

By Alifereti Sakiasi
Friday 15/09/2023
Princess Diana first wore the sheep jumper to a polo match in 1981 [Photo: Vogue]

Princess Diana's sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones has sold for $1.14 million (£920,000) at an auction by Sotheby's in New York.

Bidding opened 31 August, and the top bid stayed under $200,000 (£161,000) until the auction's final minutes.

Sotheby's had estimated the value of the "sheep jumper" at $50,000 to $80,000 (£40,300 to £64,500).

It did not disclose the identity of the winning bidder.

The simple piece of knitwear, which was unearthed in an attic in March, commanded a higher price than many other objects tied to the "People's Princess" that were sold at auctions in recent years.

Diana's car, a Ford Escort, may be the closest, going for $806,000 (£650,000) in 2022.

The amethyst-bedecked Attallah Cross that Diana frequently wore was sold to reality star Kim Kardashian for roughly one-fifth of the sweater's amount - $203,000 (£163,800) - at an auction in January.

The sweater's design is often described as symbolic of Diana's place within the royal family.

But fashion historians believe Diana was not sending a message, as she may have done in later years with her famous "revenge dress", when she wore the sweater in 1981, a month before her wedding to then Prince Charles. Instead, many say Diana was simply sporting the "Sloane Ranger" style she helped popularise.

In the era before social-media influencers, newspaper photos of Diana in the sweater gave its maker, Warm and Wonderful knitwear, a "stratospheric launch" and inspired copycat designs, according to Sotheby's.

Shortly after her marriage, Buckingham Palace wrote to Warm and Wonderful that the sweater had been damaged and sought a repair or replacement. Princess Diana then wore the replacement to another polo match in 1983.

Sotheby's included the letter to Warm and Wonderful as well as a thank-you note for the replacement in the auction lot. It also used the sweater's small hole to confirm authenticity.

Source: BBC News

FEATURE NEWS
Concerns grow over possible smuggling of illegal weapons
Concerns have been raised about the possibility of more vessels carrying illegal arms and ammunition, especially with the lack of efficient maritime s...
11 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Police seek help identifying man found in Elevuka Creek
Police are seeking assistance in identifying a man who was found floating in the Elevuka Creek in Ba on Monday. A 50-year-old fisherman made the ...
10 hours ago

COMPOL confirms skeletons found in Sigatoka are old
As police investigations continue into the skeletons found near a resort in Sigatoka, Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has ruled out the fact the ...
11 hours ago

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Western Viti Levu, Macuata and Cakaudrove
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for heavy rain is now in force for the Western half of Viti Levu including Korolevu, Sigatoka, Nadi, Lautoka, Ba until ...
11 hours ago

Family mourns the tragic death of 8-year-old Krisav Lal after Dreketi road accident
A family is still coming to terms after losing their 8-year-old son in a tragic accident on the Dreketi Highway near Basikalave Settlement yesterday ...
11 hours ago

Constitutions and Stuff
If you thought Fiji had set records in the world of constitutional law, you would be wrong. We have a long way to got to match the Dominican ...
11 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Reverend Tugi on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
Watch the General Secretary of Fiji Evangelical Fellowship, Reverend Simione Tugi on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay ...
21 days ago

fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan and William Parkinson
Chairman of Communications Fiji Limited, parent company of FM96, LegendFM, VitiFM, Navtarang, Radio Sargam, fijivillage and PNGFM, William Parkinson ...
22 days ago

fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan and Adi Tulia Nacola
The candid interview focuses on Nacola, coming from a chiefly family and being a daughter of a Minister who was ousted in the 1987 military coup, her ...
22 days ago

TOP