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London (dpa) - A "spare" wedding dress said to have been worn by the late Princess Diana was auctioned for 100,000 pounds (170,000 dollars) in London Wednesday.
The ivory silk taffeta dress was created by designer Elizabeth Emmanuel before the wedding of Diana and Prince Charles on July 29, 1981.
The designer, who made the dress together with her husband, David, has disputed claims by the auction house that the alternative gown had actually been worn by the princess.
The copy of Diana's famous romantic dress was commissioned by the London wax museum Madame Tussaud's so that it could be placed on display there after the royal wedding.
Auctioneers Cooper Owen Wednesday sold the dress at twice its estimated reserve price to a mystery telephone bidder, a spokesman said
Other items sold at the auction included a blue tracksuit which belonged to former Beatle John Lennon, which fetched 14,000 pounds.
Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono wore matching versions of the running suit at a photocall in 1970 to show they had cut off their long hair.
The vest worn by actor James Dean in the movie "Giant" sold for 52,000 pounds, far in excess of the estimated 30,000 pounds.
A black silk skirt and bodice that belonged to Queen Victoria proved one of the surprise lots when they sold for 26,500 pounds, as opposed to the estimated price of 3,000 pounds.
Copyright 2005 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
