London - A racy black gown worn by Princess Diana at her first official appearance with Prince Charles after announcing their engagement was snapped up by a Chilean fashion museum for almost £200,000 (S$409,900).
The dress, which the auctioneer described as 'iconic', was sold to the Fundacion Museo De La Moda in Santiago for £192,000, including the buyer's premium - more than the £30,000 to £50,000 estimate.
The strapless silk taffeta dress' revealing cut and striking black colour caused a minor scandal when she was pictured stepping out of a limousine in it at a London charity event in 1981.
While some thought it was too daring for the then 19-year-old royal bride-to-be, it helped turn her into an overnight fashion icon.
As the royal wedding approached, Diana returned the gown to the designers - former couple Elizabeth and David Emanuel - to have it altered as she had lost weight. But it was easier to make another and the original remained forgotten - stored for two decades in David Emanuel's garage.
It was part of a collection of clothes sold by the two designers.
Elizabeth Emanuel said they did not anticipate the reaction to the dress. 'Royals aren't supposed to wear black, apart from when in mourning,' she said.
'And you know, it was dangerously low... So of course when she did wear it, the press went absolutely crazy and every front page had pictures of Diana wearing the black dress stepping out of the car.
'I think from that minute on, Diana became a fashion icon that the press couldn't wait to see what she would be wearing next.'
Jorge Yarur, founder of the museum which bought the dress, said that when he dies, he planned to donate it and other Diana dresses he owned to Kensington Palace, where she lived from the time of her wedding in 1981 till her death in 1997.
The palace already displays a selection of Diana's dresses in the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.
