Princess Diana's iconic black sheep sweater is up for auction; expected to fetch at least $50,000

Every Princess Diana fan has seen the late royal wearing an adorablered sweater adorned with a flock of sheep. Now, one of her diehard fans, just one, can own it too. Yes, you read that right! The iconic sweater is up for auction and is expectedto sell for more than $50,000.

The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencerwas photographed in theplayfulwool jumper, which features a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones, at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne.

The garment will headline Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale in September. It was created and designed by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne for their small knitwear label Warm & Wonderful.

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Back in 1981, Muir and Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace explaining that Diana had damaged the sweater and asking whether it could be repaired or replaced. The original was returned, showing damage to a sleeve the designers thought might have been caused by snagging on Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring.

In no time, the designers knitted and dispatched a new sweater, which Diana wore with white jeans and a black ribbon tie at an event in 1983.

As many speculate, Diana supposedly liked the “black sheep” pattern on the sweaterbecause she herself felt like a black sheep or an outsider in the royal family. Emma Corrin sporteda replica as the young Diana in season four of The Crown.

If you want something similar, you can get a cotton version of the design from Warm & Wonderfulfor 190 pounds ($250). Osborne discovered the original sweater lying forgotten in a box in an attic earlier this year.

Cynthia Houlton, Sotheby’s global head of fashion and accessories, said, “This exceptional garment, meticulously preserved, carries the whispers of Princess Diana’s grace, charm, and her keen eye for fashion.”

The sweater, which has an estimated price of $50,000 to $80,000, will be on display at Sotheby’s New York showroom from September7-13. Online bidding opens on August31 and runs to September14. The record for a piece of Diana memorabilia is $604,800 for a Victor Edelstein-designed ballgown sold by Sotheby’s in January.

(With inputs from agencies)

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