Deals and Steals on upgrades for the home!

Open menu

  • Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2023 ABC News
  • Style

Princess Diana's iconic red sweater with one black sheep to be auctioned

PHOTO: Diana, Princess of Wales, arrives at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor, May 1982.
1:12
Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images, FILE
Our favorite Princess Diana maternity styles
Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images, FILE
ByJaylene Lopez
June 26, 2023, 3:27 pm

One of Princess Diana's most famous looks is being auctioned off by Sotheby's.

According to the auction house, bids for Diana's original red sweater covered with dozens of white sheep -- and one black one -- will be taken from Aug. 31 to Sept. 14.

MORE: Princess Diana remembered as 'the people's princess' 25 years after her death

It is estimated to pull in as much as $80,000, according to Sotheby's.

PHOTO: Diana, Princess of Wales attends Windsor Polo, June 1981.
Diana, Princess of Wales attends Windsor Polo, June 1981.
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images, FILE

The red sweater, which Diana wore on one public occasion adorned with a thin black ribboned collar, is known as one of her most iconic fashion pieces.

Editor’s Picks

Princess Diana remembered as 'the people's princess' 25 years after her death

  • Aug 31, 2022

Princess Diana was the most competitive mom in this race at Princes William, Harry's school

  • May 08, 2020

Kim Kardashian buys Attallah Cross necklace worn by Princess Diana

  • Jan 19, 2023

Along with striking design and color, it also symbolizes a statement the royal often made with her fashion choices: Diana was often considered to be the black sheep of the royal family, with her unconventional fashion and progressive actions, including openly shaking hands with AIDS patients in the '80s and refusing to wear extravagant hats when visiting children.

MORE: Princess Diana's former aide gets apology, 'substantial sum' from BBC over Martin Bashir interview

Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, founders of Warm & Wonderful, which made the original garment, said they discovered the sweater in a small box in their attic earlier this year.

According to Sotheby's, years ago, Diana had "sent it back to the label alongside a request for repair" after damaging one of the cuffs.

"Instead," the auction house wrote on social media, "an entirely new sweater was knitted and returned to her [at that time]."

Muir and Osborne rediscovered the original sweater in March.

MORE: Rare image of Princess Diana to be displayed in new Kensington Palace exhibit

"This past March, as we were rummaging through the attic searching for an old pattern, we spotted a small box," they said, according to Sotheby's. "Inside, tucked away beside a cotton bedspread was Diana's original red sheep sweater from 1981."

Warm & Wonderful previously reissued the design in 2020 in collaboration with the brand Rowing Blazers, years after it ceased production of the garment.

According to a product description on the Rowing Blazers website, the new iteration is a "lightweight version ... made from 100% cotton" that "features painstaking updates to the classic pattern and fit, making it more closely resemble the princess' very own Sheep Sweater from the 80s (which we recently unearthed and studied!)."

The reissued sweater is priced at $248.

Editor’s Picks

Princess Diana remembered as 'the people's princess' 25 years after her death

  • Aug 31, 2022

Princess Diana was the most competitive mom in this race at Princes William, Harry's school

  • May 08, 2020

Kim Kardashian buys Attallah Cross necklace worn by Princess Diana

  • Jan 19, 2023
Up Next in Style—

Best matching holiday family pajamas from Hanna Andersson, Kohl's and more

September 29, 2023

'Tube Girl' Sabrina Bahsoon takes confidence to the next level

September 28, 2023

'Grab your big scarf': Lenny Kravitz makes clever TikTok debut

September 25, 2023

Natalia Bryant makes her runway debut during Milan Fashion Week

September 25, 2023

Up Next in Style—

Best matching holiday family pajamas from Hanna Andersson, Kohl's and more

September 29, 2023

'Tube Girl' Sabrina Bahsoon takes confidence to the next level

September 28, 2023

'Grab your big scarf': Lenny Kravitz makes clever TikTok debut

September 25, 2023

Natalia Bryant makes her runway debut during Milan Fashion Week

September 25, 2023

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2023 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2023 ABC News