She owned the 80s and 90s fashion scene and is still very much alive in our imagination more than two decades after.
Princess Diana's looks through the 80s and 90s still have people raving about it. Throughout her years in the public eye, she wore some iconic gowns and gave us some lasting lookbook inspirations. The People's Princess wasn't just a fashion icon though. She had a lot more to offer to the world, and the style statements she made revealed all sides of her endearing personality—bold, kind, compassionate, and fearless.
The famous fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was also Princess Diana's friend, had said, "Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live." Lady Di adopted that fashion philosophy from the very beginning, even before she became part of the royal family, and created timeless looks. There have been many times when Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle took a leaf out of Diana's book when it comes to fashion.
Here are the 20 times she wowed us in gowns with her stately elegance.
Diana wearing a dress by Bellville Sassoon to the V&A.
She is wearing a Catherine Walker gown and has her hair slicked back.
The iconic midnight blue velvet dress by Victor Edelstein was worn by the Princess for Ronald Reagan's White House reception in 1985, according to Marie Claire.
She used an emerald choker—a wedding gift from the Queen—as a headband for a formal night out with her gown by the Emanuels.
The Princess of Wales wore this gown by Japanese designer Hachi on her first official visit to the U.S.
The princess looks breathtaking in this Catherine Walker gown, which she wore while meeting the Crown Prince of Kuwait in 1989.
Famously called the revenge dress, this short gown was designed by Christina Stambolian. Princess Diana wore it the same day Prince Charles admitted to marital infidelities.
Diana wore this lace-and-satin design by Murray Arbeid at a dinner in Washington D.C. She paired it with a diamond tiara called "Queen Mary's Lover's Knot."
The Princess of Wales wore a Catherine Walker dress for a presidential banquet in Cameroon in 1990.
Diana adored this red dress by Victor Edelstein and wore it on multiple occasions.
She wore this Catherine Walker piece on a 1986 Austrian state visit and again to the 1990 Diamond Ball.
Diana paired this plunging Catherine Walker gown with a long strand of pearls down her back in 1985.
Princess Diana wore this pearl and diamante encrusted petal pink gown with a full pleated skirt by Catherine Walker in 1993.
Diana stunned everyone with this gorgeous ballroom inspired white gown along with her favorite choker.
She wore this ruched dress by Catherine Walker to the Canadian premiere of Crocodile Dundee II, according to Instyle.
Diana wore another Catherine Walker design to a function at the Dorchester Hotel just a month before announcing her withdrawal from public life, according to GoodHouseKeeping.
She attended the Cannes Film Festival wearing a stunning ice blue gown by Catherine Walker.
Dubbed the "Elvis dress," Catherine Walker was reportedly inspired by Elizabethan ruffs. In this version, she created a white silk crepe dress and bolero jacket, both embroidered with sequins and pearls.
References:
https://jacquesazagury.com/pages/diana
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/g4362/princess-diana-dresses/?
https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/princess-diana-iconic-style-167179
https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/princess-diana-best-dresses-fashion-style
https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/princess-dianas-most-iconic-style-moments?
