This is one of Princess Diana's most beloved outfits, which she wore at least nine times during the late 80s and early 90s.
Julien's Auctions experienced an unusually emotional moment a few days ago, when Renae Plant, collector and founder of the Princess Diana Museum, burst into tears and fell to the floor in emotion after she managed to make the blue floral dress by Bellville Sassoon, known as the "Caring Dress", her own.
This is one of Princess Diana's most beloved outfits, which she wore at least nine times during the late 80s and early 90s.
For this particular outfit, Plant paid $400,000 out of a total of $1.9 million he spent to purchase 35 of the princess's personal items at a single auction, held on June 26 in Los Angeles.
The collector confessed that to make these purchases, she and her husband remortgaged their house. “When I see them offering so little, I know they won’t be able to maintain this legacy. We’re not rich — all the funds come from donations. We always mortgage our house when we do this,” she told People magazine, adding that this is the third or fourth time they’ve made such a decision.
The “Care Dress,” so named because Diana often wore it during hospital visits, holds special meaning for Plant. It represents a personal connection with the princess, dating back to a brief but memorable moment during a tour of Australia, where Plant, then 18, had the opportunity to meet Diana. This encounter changed her life and inspired her to dedicate her life to preserving the princess’s legacy.
“I feel that this dress – the Care Dress – perfectly reflects her kindness, empathy, humanity, everything our museum stands for and everything we do,” she explained.
Plant launched the online museum in 2019. Today, her collection includes over 2,700 of Princess Diana's personal and historical objects and is considered one of the largest of its kind in the world. In the coming months, she plans to showcase the collection in various locations around the world through temporary exhibitions.
However, her biggest dream remains: "To return the collection to Britain, where it belongs, to a permanent place where it will enjoy respect and honor, after we are no more."
She describes herself as a different kind of collector: "Some people buy objects to wear. That's not the case for us. We are committed to preserving historical objects and telling the story of Diana and her legacy for generations to come."