Some dresses become famous because they are beautiful. Princess Diana’s famous black dress became something bigger.

Nearly 30 years after she wore it, the “revenge dress” is heading to auction for the first time since Diana sold it herself in 1997.

Designed by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, the off-the-shoulder silk gown is expected to fetch up to $300,000 when Sotheby’s puts it under the hammer in New York on December 9.

But the dress is remembered for far more than its neckline.

Diana wore it to a Vanity Fair dinner at London’s Serpentine Gallery in 1994, on the same night Prince Charles’ televised interview about their marriage was due to air. The timing turned a fashion choice into a global talking point.

The look was unapologetically bold for a member of the British royal family. Diana paired the short black dress with black heels, a clutch, red nails and a striking sapphire-and-diamond choker. The jewellery had its own royal history, created from a brooch gifted to Diana by the Queen Mother.

She had actually owned the Stambolian dress for years but had previously considered it too daring to wear.

That changed in 1994.

Instead of dressing to disappear under the weight of the headlines, Diana stepped out in a look that demanded attention. The press quickly gave it a name, the revenge dress and fashion history took over from there.

Its power was never really about revenge. It was about Diana controlling the image people saw when the world was watching her most closely.

The gown was last offered for sale in 1997, when Diana auctioned 79 of her dresses to raise money for cancer and AIDS charities. Almost three decades later, it is returning to the market, accompanied by a copy of the original auction catalogue signed by both Stambolian and Diana.

Before the December sale, the dress will be exhibited in London, Hong Kong and Geneva, before making its way to New York.