Diana Frances Spencer, the Princess of Wales, the first wife of Charles (Prince of Wales), was not only recognised for these distinctions but also for her angelic, confident and charismatic personality. With all her philanthropic endeavours, style icon image, sympathetic nature, Lady Di is remembered as the ‘people’s princess’ and the queen of people’s hearts. Princess Diana was way ahead of her time, which not only influenced her bold style of political and personal decision-making, but also her strong sense of fashion. She personified grace and elegance at every appearance, from diplomatic tours to street style. Here are a few iconic styles by Lady Di that are a part of fashion legend…
The Fairytale Dress
Princess Diana married the Prince of Wales at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981. It was the most anticipated royal wedding, which was broadcast globally. The wedding looked just like a fairy tale coming true and the wedding dress was a cherry on the top. It was an ivory taffeta silk and antique lace gown with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. This dress was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, keeping in mind that the dress should go down as the most memorable and loving piece of art in history. Diana in the bridal look was a sight to behold as she walked down the aisle. The dress now is on display at Kensington Palace as a part of an exhibit called ‘Royal Style in the Making’ as a tribute to Diana’s breathtaking styles.
The Polka-Dotted dress
Anna Harvey was Diana’s fashion mentor and according to her, on diplomatic tours as a part of the royal protocol, Diana chose attires which paid respect to the countries’ culture. On one such tour, which was the famous Australian tour of March 1983, Diana wore a pink polka-dotted dress designed by Donald Campbell and a hat by John Boyd. Princess Diana believed that polka-dots added a sense of femininity and a cartoonish tone to her style as polka-dots were designated for Minnie Mouse. Her feminine and warm looks won hearts in her first diplomatic tour itself.
Athleisure
Athleisure looks were Princess Diana’s uniform and comprised oversized crew-neck sweatshirts with bold prints paired with biker shorts, socks and chunky sneakers. A 10/10 . This look, which was often Diana’s gym attire made the paparazzi go crazy. Fun fact: Diana wore the same Virgin Sweatshirt for days to decrease the value of media shots. Who would have known that running errands can look this stylish?!
The Boxy Blazer
Are Hailey Bieber and Emily Ratajkowski wearing blazers as street style? Yes. Are they trending? Yes. And whom are they inspired from? The answer is the one and only Princess Diana. Diana’s street fashion during the late ’90s started revolving around boxy blazers, which she often paired with crisp shirts, turtle-necks and slim-cut jeans, and even with pleated skirts. She started wearing blazers as a general fashion statement and not only something formal.
The Revenge Dress
Last but not the least, the black ‘revenge dress’, which the Princess of Wales wore for the first time in 1994 in Kensington Gardens, was an off-shoulder black silk dress designed by Christina Stambolian. Lady Di paired it with her statement choker necklace and high heels. She wore this dress on the night Prince Charles confessed his adultery with Camilla on national television. And the rest is history. It was revealed that Diana planned on wearing a different dress that day but she changed her mind last minute. Anna Harvey, her former stylist, said that she wanted to look “like a million dollars”. The Princess thought wearing a slinky dress like that was an act of daring as it broke the royal protocol, which made media headlines the next day and thus earning the title “the revenge dress” as she took revenge on her husband and his family. Taking revenge on her ex is every woman’s fantasy and Princess Diana did that in her style.