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This colle
ction was initially released in 1987 and comprised replicas
of Princess Diana's most famous outfits from the 1980's with copies of
matching accessories. Each outfit came boxed on a wardrobe mannequin,
except for the first which was shipped on a 14" vinyl
doll. The accessories were mounted on cardboard and packaged in plastic
bags. These included copies of Diana's hats and jewellery.
In my opinion, the most cleverly copied piece was the Queen's Family Order
brooch (right.)
The Mint manufactured 27 different outfits altogether, but sent collectors only 25. Starting with about DDU/20, different outfits were sent out to collectors, depending on when DM ran out of stock. When DM ran out of stock on one item, another outfit was substituted, so one particular "complete" set of 25 may not be exactly the same as another "complete" set of 25. Additionally, subscribers had the right of refusal on any outfit and could send any back which they did not like. This may be part of the reason the Mint made an extra two–in case someone sent back one or two, she could still get a "complete" set of 25.
The set was discontinued in 1991 and one can now only find the pieces on the secondary market. Because many collectors gave up before completing, it is quite common to find partial sets or single outfits or even just individual accessories for sale on eBay. That means that the first fifteen or twenty outfits tend to be very frequently found. Collectors either lost interest or ran out of money before finishing the set. Several I have corresponded with indicated that they stopped collecting when they realised that certain outfits they were hoping for weren't going to materialise.
Most of the DM sales reps with whom I spoke were unaware of the 2 extra outfits, but I interviewed one who helped me so that I was able to identify and eventually purchase all 27 on the secondary market. Each outfit cost $24.50 + $2.50 shipping and handling. The rarest and most difficult outfits to find are numbers DDU/20, DDU/25, DDU/26 and DDU/27, probably because most collectors gave up at about #20 and the others were close to the end of the collection at a point when the cost was mounting in a Republican governed economy.
In order to obtain all 27 outfits, most collectors have had to find two large sets, combine them, then sell the leftover duplicates. The more expensive (AND FRUSTRATING) route is to try to find them in singles, doubles and small groups. Continue reading to find out more about the collection.
