Princess Diana of Wales over time.
When it comes to England’s Royal family fashion is a staple. Everyone is looking to pick up trends from the ladies in the family. Kate Middleton is one of the biggest fashion icons of modern times; however, she is not the first royal lady to be iconic.
The late Princess Diana, formerly married to Prince Charles of Wales, was known for her sense of style. Being on a constant platform, she always had to dress the part of royalty. Her image on the front of magazines could increase circulation by 40%.
The year 2017 marks 20 years since Princess Diana’s death. Kensington Palace, former home of Diana, currently has an exhibition open to the public which includes 24 of her dresses. It’s a one-of-a-kind must-see. The exhibit is called Diana: Her Fashion Story.
The exhibition entrance in front of Kensington Palace.
From February 2017 to 2018, the public is invited to celebrate the life of the Princess of Wales through fashion. Tracing the evolution of her style from all different kinds of public events, simplistic glamour and sophisticated elegance.
Princess Diana used her fashion for good. In June of 1997, the Princess’ son Prince William suggested his mother sell some of her dresses for good humanitarian causes. She ended up selling 79 of her dresses, raising over 3.4 million pounds and donating it for AIDS and other cancer charities. When Diana picked out her outfits she always asked ‘“What message will I be giving out if I wear this?” For her that was the real language of clothes,’ said fashion designer Jasper Conran.
With around 130 public engagements a year, Diana needed an outfit for all of them. When she would visit overseas she would incorporate national emblems of the place she was visiting as a sign of respect.
In the 1980’s, Diana’s style was amazingly glamorous. Adopting embellishments and shoulder pads, Diana wore the trends quite well. Diana loved light colors, lacy and flowing fabrics. She certainly broke the royalty conventional style with some of her dramatic dress choices.
After her separation with the Prince of Wales, Diana focused much more of her time on charity work. Engaging more with work and charity, Diana simplified her daytime look to keep it simple and allow people to focus on her work rather than her looks. Most of her wardrobe included shift dresses and suits.
Diana’s outfits allow people to connect with her and learn about her life even today as a princess, humanitarian and fashion icon. The exhibit at Kensington Palace makes for an incredible, unique and trendy experience.
