<p>A Mughal-inspired designer gown worn by Princess Diana during her state visit to India in 1992 is among 10 iconic outfits coming up for auction here next month.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The lavishly embroidered pink silk evening gown and bolero, designed by Catherine Walker especially for the state visit to India in February 1992, is set to fetch between 80,000-120,000 pounds.<br /><br />"It is one of the most lavish of all her gowns. Richly embroidered royal dresses have been a tradition for royalty and aristocracy since Elizabethan times," a spokesperson for Kerry Taylor Auctions told PTI.<br /><br />It was during this particular trip that Princess Diana was famously photographed sitting alone at the Taj Mahal, which led to a flurry of speculation in the press at the time.<br /><br />According to the lot description, the inspiration for the embroidered design came from the lid of an Indian inlaid marquetry box discovered by the designers in a London market.<br /><br />Great care was taken when choosing the colours of the needlework as it needed to be colourful and exuberant to reflect the country of her visit.<br /><br />The other nine lots at the auction includes another iconic gown worn by the princess while dancing with actor John Travolta during a state dinner at the White House in 1985.<br /><br />The Victor Edelstein midnight blue velvet outfit is the highlight of the sale and set to fetch up to 300,000 pounds.<br /><br />"Diana was photographed wearing these gowns by not only by the paparazzi, but by some of the leading photographers of the day – including Mario Testino and Lord Snowdon," said the auction house, which specialises in vintage fashion sales.<br /><br />It is confident that the latest auction will prove hugely popular as the lots include some of the "most important and iconic" dresses worn by Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.<br /><br />At Diana's request, the 10 dresses were originally sold in a charity auction in New York in June 1997, just two months before she died.<br /><br />Florida-based businesswoman Maureen Dunkel bought the dresses but was forced to put them up for auction in 2011 after she went bankrupt – but only four of them sold.<br /><br />"That sale was a bit of a disaster... The reserve prices were ridiculously high. But they are beautiful dresses. We have a good reputation for selling these things and the estimates are sensible, rooted in reality and obtainable," the spokesperson added.<br /><br />The princess is a well-known fashion icon and her style was minutely scrutinised, discussed and imitated around the world.<br /><br />The latest sale of her collection, which includes the handiwork of her favourite designers like Zandra Rhodes and Bruce Oldfield, is expected to raise a whopping 800,000 pounds.<br /><br />Black was her favourite colour and Diana often chose to wear it, despite the fact that Prince Charles had advised her that it was strictly against royal protocol – as members of the royal family are only supposed to wear it for periods of mourning.</p>
<p>A Mughal-inspired designer gown worn by Princess Diana during her state visit to India in 1992 is among 10 iconic outfits coming up for auction here next month.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The lavishly embroidered pink silk evening gown and bolero, designed by Catherine Walker especially for the state visit to India in February 1992, is set to fetch between 80,000-120,000 pounds.<br /><br />"It is one of the most lavish of all her gowns. Richly embroidered royal dresses have been a tradition for royalty and aristocracy since Elizabethan times," a spokesperson for Kerry Taylor Auctions told PTI.<br /><br />It was during this particular trip that Princess Diana was famously photographed sitting alone at the Taj Mahal, which led to a flurry of speculation in the press at the time.<br /><br />According to the lot description, the inspiration for the embroidered design came from the lid of an Indian inlaid marquetry box discovered by the designers in a London market.<br /><br />Great care was taken when choosing the colours of the needlework as it needed to be colourful and exuberant to reflect the country of her visit.<br /><br />The other nine lots at the auction includes another iconic gown worn by the princess while dancing with actor John Travolta during a state dinner at the White House in 1985.<br /><br />The Victor Edelstein midnight blue velvet outfit is the highlight of the sale and set to fetch up to 300,000 pounds.<br /><br />"Diana was photographed wearing these gowns by not only by the paparazzi, but by some of the leading photographers of the day – including Mario Testino and Lord Snowdon," said the auction house, which specialises in vintage fashion sales.<br /><br />It is confident that the latest auction will prove hugely popular as the lots include some of the "most important and iconic" dresses worn by Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.<br /><br />At Diana's request, the 10 dresses were originally sold in a charity auction in New York in June 1997, just two months before she died.<br /><br />Florida-based businesswoman Maureen Dunkel bought the dresses but was forced to put them up for auction in 2011 after she went bankrupt – but only four of them sold.<br /><br />"That sale was a bit of a disaster... The reserve prices were ridiculously high. But they are beautiful dresses. We have a good reputation for selling these things and the estimates are sensible, rooted in reality and obtainable," the spokesperson added.<br /><br />The princess is a well-known fashion icon and her style was minutely scrutinised, discussed and imitated around the world.<br /><br />The latest sale of her collection, which includes the handiwork of her favourite designers like Zandra Rhodes and Bruce Oldfield, is expected to raise a whopping 800,000 pounds.<br /><br />Black was her favourite colour and Diana often chose to wear it, despite the fact that Prince Charles had advised her that it was strictly against royal protocol – as members of the royal family are only supposed to wear it for periods of mourning.</p>