It bears the Lorcan Mullany/Bellville Sassoon label, indicating it came from their ready-to-wear line, for which Mullany was responsible. The beaded and sequinned bodice, paired with a black velvet skirt, was set off by pristine white collar and cuffs, and the little black bow added some girlish modesty to the plunging neckline.
Diana needed it for the September 1989 85th anniversary concert of the London Symphony Orchestra (above left). She wore it several more times in the next two years - in October 1990, it was at a gala concert for the British Lung Foundation. She then wore it twice in 1991 - in February to a gala performance of "Children of Eden" for the Malcolm Singer Cancer Fund, and in November to the English National Opera performance of the "Marriage of Figaro" (right) in aid of Dr. Barnardo's charity. She was patron of all the organizations.
When Diana auctioned 79 of her gowns for charity in 1997, this was Lot 4 (below left), described as "a short formal cocktail dress in black and white", and fetched $43,700. It was purchased by the French magazine Paris Match and used as a contest prize (below) . The outfit was won by a dental assistant, whose daughter posed for photos. The pair tried to auction it off in Paris but their reserve wasn't met, and they indicated intentions to try to sell it in the US. Eventually it made it's way to the Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile, who has one of the largest collections of Diana's clothing, and they in turn leant it to Kensington Palace for their 2017 "Diana, Her Fashion Story" exhibit.
