A Chilean museum said it was willing to pay a princely sum for one of Diana, Princess of Wales' first official gowns because it was an important piece of fashion history.

The strapless, silk taffeta dress' revealing cut and striking black colour caused a minor scandal when the then Lady Diana Spencer was pictured wearing it to a charity event in 1981.

But while some thought it too daring, it helped turn the 19-year-old royal bride-to-be into an overnight fashion icon.

"It is a very different dress from what royalty wore at that time in England," said Hernan Garcia, director of the Museo de la Moda in Santiago.

"It marks the change that she continued to make both in her country and around the world. It is a symbol of the (fashion) changes that were to come later."

The museum bought the garment on Tuesday for £192,000 - several times the original estimated value.

It plans to make the gown the centrepiece of an exhibit opening this month called Back To The '80s.

Last year the Museo de la Moda displayed clothing that belonged to the late pop superstar Michael Jackson.