Princess Diana Had a Special Wardrobe Worn Only During Charity Events
The most significant contribution Princess Diana made to modernize the British royal family was her connection to the public. One quiet and understated way Diana connected during charity events, a staple of royal life, was through her clothes. This carefully curated wardrobe helped her make a connection with her followers.
Princess Diana became a fashion icon upon her 1981 marriage to then-Prince Charles
Diana had a knack for choosing pieces that suited her figure and situation rather than following trends. Of course, that doesn’t mean the late princess was immune from bold prints, ruffles, and frills, a trademark of the 1980s and 90s throughout her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
“That’s what sort of takes somebody above daily fashion,” said Lynn of Diana’s style evolution, “and helps make them a fashion icon: they have that elegance that is theirs and doesn’t move with the changes of fashion.”
Curator of “Diana: Her Fashion Story,” Lynn shared her comments to Vanity Fair about the Princess of Wales’ wardrobe. “She transcended fashion and achieved an incredible elegance,” said Lynn. “All you saw was her, and the clothes became secondary to her presence and work.”
Diana wore clothes that helped her connect with others during charity events
Over the many years that I have visited The Passage, first with my mother when I was just a small boy, I have developed a great affection for you all. pic.twitter.com/gvIT9qPEb9
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 30, 2021
Lynn explained that Diana carefully chose clothing that would provide a sensory experience for charity events, where she visited hospital patients and those in long-care facilities. The late Princess of Wales had a specific wardrobe for these royal duties.
“Cheerful, colorful clothes because she wanted to convey approachability and warmth,” Lynn said. “She didn’t wear gloves because she liked to hold people’s hands.
“She would sometimes wear chunky jewelry so children could play with it, and she never wore hats to children’s hospitals after a while because she said you couldn’t cuddle a child in a hat.”
Diana also chose specific items to wear if she were visiting hospitals for the blind, often wearing velvet so her clothing would provide a tactile experience to those who cannot see.
That’s not to say that Princess Diana didn’t use fashion to share personal messaging
Diana’s most infamous outfit was the notorious “revenge dress” she wore the evening the then-Prince of Wales gave an interview where he revealed his unfaithfulness with Camilla Parker Bowles. The Princess of Wales showed off her decollete and long legs at the annual Serpentine Gallery summer party in a short, figure-hugging Christina Stambolian frock.
“It was quite deliberate,” said Meredith Etherington-Smith, former creative director of Christie’s International. Smith worked with Diana on the 1997 sale of her dresses at the auction house to USA Today.
“She was very good at obliterating the press, Princess Diana. She was out for the hero shot,” said Etherington-Smith of the unforgettable moment in royal history.
