The story of what happened to Diana's NZ tour dress

Tomorrow, three dresses owned and worn by Princess Diana will be going up for sale through vintage fashion auctioneer Kerry Taylor, each one offering an insight into the style of a woman who remains an enduring fashion icon even after death. 

But there is one dress in particular that stands out from the rest; a turquoise silk suit that she wore here in New Zealand, while on tour in 1983. 

The vibrant turquoise silk suit was made for Diana by her favourite designer Catherine Walker especially for her Australia and New Zealand tour.

Image: KERRY TAYLOR AUCTIONS/ THE SALE ROOM

"She was photographed wearing this ensemble [during] the traditional Maori greeting," Taylor explains. "It formed part of a large group order the Princess had made to Catherine Walker, in whom she had enormous faith - so much so that she didn't even ask to see provisional sketches and trusted her to select and make the dress directly."

What may be most interesting about the turquoise outfit is that it was found at an op shop, along with another frock of Diana's. 

When Diana was alive she would give clothes to friends or donate them to charity and second-hand shops, and the New Zealand tour dress, along with a tartan dress, came from a mother and daughter who first purchased the pieces in a 'posh second-hand shop'. They discovered that the dresses they were interested in had belonged to the Princess.

"The turquoise dress has quite a low estimate simply because the lady who bought it, actually wore it," says Taylor. "She had it altered and she wore it to a wedding where champagne spilled down the front - if it weren't for that, we would be estimating £6000 rather than £600."

The checked dress is expected to fetch between £6000 and £9,000 because the daughter who bought "has a very similar figure to Diana's so it hasn't been changed, although it has been worn".