Eight Iconic Dresses Worn By Princess Diana

Dec 04, 2020

With Netflix’s The Crown gaining popularity since its fourth season dropped just a couple of weeks ago, people are talking about how lucky 25-year-old English actress Emma Corrin is to be cast as Princess Diana herself and with that, embody her iconic style.

Here are eight of Diana’s most iconic dresses - see if you can spot their remakes in the show!

The asymmetric dress by Hachi

Designed by Japanese designer Hachi, Vogue writes that this one-shoulder dress is embroidered with crystals and sold for more than $80,860 at an auction. The fashionista princess paired the dress with a metallic-colored clutch and heels when she attended the premiere of the James Bond film Octopussy in 1983.

The mini dress by Catherine Walker

In 1997, Diana wow-ed in this body con champagne-colored dress designed by Catherine Walker which she paired with Jimmy Choos heels. As per Vogue, she was in New York for an auction event that she organized in partnership with Christie’s which raised almost 3.5 million dollars for organizations fighting against AIDS and cancer.

The wedding dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel

According to Town & Country, the dress Diana wore for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 is valued at an estimated $115,000. The ivory taffeta gown was designed by British husband-and-wife team David and Elizabeth Emanuel and features a 25-ft train which, according to Vogue, is a record in royal family history.

Emma Corrin told Vogue about her experience wearing the replica of the dress to film the wedding scene: “We were filming the scene when you first see her in the wedding dress – I think it was Lancaster House in London – and I had a team of about 10 people helping me put it on, because it’s massive,” she said. “I walked out and everyone went completely silent. More than anything else I wear in the series, it’s so… It’s her.”

The aquamarine asymmetric dress by Elizabeth Emanuel

This stunning blue number was made by the same designer responsible for Diana’s wedding gown. This dress was a good choice for dancing, as seen in the picture above of Diana and Charles mid-movement during an official visit to Melbourne, Australia. Instead of a tiara or a necklace, Diana went with a diamond and emerald choker given to her by her mother-in-law, the Queen, and wore it as a headdress. Diana was known to wear jewelry in unconventional ways, like wearing a necklace backward and wearing two watches on one wrist.

Navy Slip Dress by Dior 

Only Diana can wear a slip dress to a white tie event and make it look absolutely regal. According to Royal biographer Katie Nicholl, Diana almost decided against this piece for the 1996 Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (aka The Met Gala) for fear of embarrassing her son, a then pre-pubescent William. She went with it anyway and brought a velvet robe along whenever she felt she wanted to cover up a bit. The stylish mama paired the dress with the same giant pearl choker she wore with the revenge dress for extra glam.

The Elvis Dress by Catherine Walker

No prizes for guessing right why this dress is so named. The People’s Princess first wore this dress named after the king of rock ‘n roll during an official visit to Hong Kong in 1989 and then a second time in the same year to the British Fashion Awards. We think it safe to say that the upturned collar and the 20,000 embroidered pearls made a statement at the event.

The Travolta dress by Victor Edelstein

The name of this Victor Edelstein piece was derived only after Diana wore it while dancing with actor John Travolta at a dinner at the White House in 1985. It looks to be black but really is a midnight blue velvet gown. Diana had requested that this dress be sold in a charity auction shortly before her death. It has since been auctioned off a few times. It most recently sold for $325,317 to Historic Royal Palaces, according to The Telegraph.

The LBD by Christina Stambolian

It’s not a story about Diana’s style if the iconic ‘revenge dress’ is not mentioned. It was a Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery, and Diana arrived in this off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian dress that violated the royal dress code. It was very short, had an open back, and a plunging neckline. Suffice it to say that Diana looked simply amazing in it — and not as if she just learned that Charles had cheated on her. Fittingly, this memorable 1990s fit was titled “the revenge dress” given the context and Diana’s decision to pull out all the stops.

Which is your favorite dress? Tell us in the comments and be sure to tell us what you think of the replicas shown on The Crown.