Princess Diana‘s wardrobe remains in high demand — her famous sheep sweater just sold to the highest bidder for over $1.1 million, making it the world’s most expensive sweater.
An all-out bidding war erupted for the famed red and white sweater at Sotheby’s Fashion Icon auction — a 15-minute battle ended Thursday with 44 bids, jacking the price up from $190,000 to $1,143,000.
Princess Diana famously wore the sweater for the first time way back in 1981 … helping the designers behind the garment, British brand Warm & Wonderful, explode in popularity after she was pictured wearing it on the front page of a newspaper.
The sheep sweater sat dormant in the brand’s archives for decades until this March, when co-founder Joanna Osborne rediscovered it while searching for a different pattern … and ultimately decided to auction it off.
The winning bidder walks away with Diana’s sheep sweater and two letters from Buckingham Palace sent to Osborne in 1981 from the Princess’ press secretary.
The $1.143 million sale price nearly doubles the previous record for the most expensive Princess Diana garment ever sold … a velvet ballgown she wore for a royal portrait, which sold earlier this year for $604,800.