Publications
Partners
Now that’s one way to treasure something.
The gown, by designer Victor Edelstein, was dubbed the John Travolta dress when Princess Diana wore it to the White House in 1985 and was pictured dancing with the Hollywood star. The dress is now in an isolation room during lockdown, People reports.
Historic Royal Palaces, the charity which looks after royal memorabilia including clothing and artefacts, bought the dress last year for around R5 million, Town and Country reports.
Eleri Lynn is the charity’s royal curator and traditionally would conduct tours of the exhibits to the public. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, the beautiful midnight blue gown and other garments have been put in an "isolation room" for a few months.
"My worst nightmare would be a pest infestation from a clothes moth or a carpet beetle," Eleri says.
This is why treasured designer items such as Diana’s famous gown have been wrapped in special material and put in a freezer while in isolation.
"That gets rid of any infestation and any eggs and then we leave it out to thaw before transferring it to its permanent home," Eleri explains.
The iconic evening gown was acquired post-auction by Historical Royal Palaces and joined the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection in 2019 after it failed to find a buyer, Harper’s Bazaar reports.
READ NEXT: How Princess Diana's iconic and unforgettable 'revenge dress' got its name
*Covid-19 is keeping many of us indoors. Our shopping trips have become brief, normal activities have been halted. Many have been wondering if they’ll still get their copy of their favourite YOU magazine. And how will we find things to do while indoors?
Though YOU magazine is available in most grocery stores, you can also subscribe online with no fuss. Click here to purchase a digital copy.
