Waddington’s auction house of Toronto, Canada will feature 14 iconic dresses from the wardrobe of the late Diana, Princess of Wales in their June 23, 2011 auction, with one of the gowns expected to bring as much as one million dollars.  Artfact Live! will provide live online bidding for the sale, which will draw national and international bidders. 

The collection of dresses was originally purchased at auction in 1997 by Tampa businesswoman Maureen Dunkel, just eight weeks before Diana was killed in a Paris car crash.  After Diana’s death, Dunkel organized a non-profit foundation to take the fashion collection on tour and raise money for Diana’s charities.   Now, collectors, fashion lovers and admirers of the late Princess will have a chance to bid from anyplace in the world through Artfact Live! online auctions.  For additional information, or to bid live online please visit www.Artfact.com.

Highlighting this rare and coveted fashion collection is a long formal dinner dress of blue silk velvet, worn by Diana at a 1985 White House state dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Reagan.  The gown is one of the most recognizable from the Princess’s wardrobe, having been worn during a much-photographed dance with actor John Travolta at the event that made headlines everywhere.  Made by renowned designer Victor Edelstein, the dress is expected to bring as much as $1,000,000.

Additional items from the collection include a long evening dress of lilac wild silk with an embroidered bolero.  Made by Catherine Walker, the dress was designed for Diana’s state tour of India in 1992, and reflects Walker’s in-depth research of India’s cultural standards.  Embroidered in the Mughal fashion, it is a tapestry of flowers, sequins and gold, giving the appearance of encrusted jewels.  The dress estimated to sell for $375,000 - $425,000.

A cream-colored silk crepe dinner dress is also offered.  Also designed by Catherine Walker, this formal dress has a nearly off-the-shoulder neckline, with a bodice formed by crossed draped panels.  It was originally designed for Diana’s attendance at a 1993 royal banquet for the King and Queen of Malaysia, but was also worn by Diana for the now world famous photo shoot by Mario Testino in a 1997 issue of Vanity Fair.  The dress is expected to bring $250,000 - $300,000.

A full-color catalog of the Waddington's sale is available at www.Artfact.com.

In addition to this exciting auction, Artfact Live! also offers live online bidding at premier auctions around the world.  Artfact Live! bidders benefit from an enhanced, easy-to-use bidding console; a comprehensive auction database; and a powerful search engine that allows bidders to search consignments by keyword, auction house, artist name and more.  To register to bid at this or any other Artfact Live! auction, please visit www.Artfact.com.

Founded in 1989, Artfact is the largest global marketplace of fine and decorative arts, antiques, collectibles, and estate auctions.  On January 1, 2009, Artfact launched Artfact Live! and Invaluable Live!, its proprietary live auction bidding platforms, enabling users to bid in real-time on auctions being held around the world by its prestigious auction house partners.  Artfact's industry leading database includes more than 59 million complete auction results totaling more than $210 billion in value, including information on more than 500,000 international artists.

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