The symbolism couldn’t have been more in your face: Princess Diana—who, like royals who have come after her, used clothing to send clear messages to the public—in her now iconic black sheep sweater, worn for the first time in the summer of 1981. The red and white wool Sheep Sweater by knitwear label Warm & Wonderful conveyed without saying a word that Diana was a different kind of royal—a black sheep amongst the family, if you will—and instantly became a piece of fashion lore. Worn the month before she married the then Prince Charles in June 1981 at a summer polo match, Diana’s prediction that she would be the “black sheep” of the family proved entirely too prescient.
This morning, Sotheby’s announced that the sweater will be offered this September in New York in its inaugural Fashion Icons auction—available at auction for the very first time. Sotheby’s Global Head of Fashion and Accessories Cynthia Houlton told Marie Claire exclusively that the piece jumpstarted the princess’ reputation as a global fashion icon.
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
“The sweater sparked conversations amongst both the media and the general public as to what message she was trying to send the world,” she said. “As one of the most photographed women of all time, she made a distinct decision to wear this design not once, but twice in a public setting—further alluding that it was a deeply personal item to ‘the People’s Princess.’ There was, of course, speculation from all parties as to whether Diana resonated specifically with the lone, black sheep prominently placed on the front of the sweater.”
After that first wearing—when the public and the media were still getting to know a 19-year-old named Diana Spencer—the look was carefully dissected, spurring conversations and becoming a cultural moment. It was one of the first pieces created by Warm & Wonderful’s duo Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, and the sweater took the world by…
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