Princess Diana's Famed Black "Revenge Dress" Has A Story Of Its Own

Nov 28, 2020 by apost team

Princess Diana has long been a fashion icon. Even after her death, her looks continue to inspire many young women, and media interest in her fashion-sense has remained undiminished. Among all the looks that she has served throughout the years, there is one that stands out: her “revenge dress.” Read on to see the dress and find out why it has been helmed as the late “People’s Princess,” most memorable style moment.

You might think that the most important dress in a girl’s life would be her wedding dress. Princess Diana had a huge fairytale wedding and wore a stunning princess dress, but it was the one she wore at the edge of her official divorce that turned out to be the one she is most remembered for.

Diana never failed to make headlines for her incredible fashion sense at every event she attended. She was into bold patterns, bright colors, giving her own twist when it comes to accessorizing, and most importantly, always wore them with confidence.

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She has had many memorable style moments over the years, and she was not one to follow the rules. In 1992, she wore a tan-colored ensemble during her visit to the Pyramids of Giza. The tabloids were upset that she had chosen an outfit which blended with the desert scenery, instead of something more colorful that would make her stand out. But this fashion icon makes it look like she's posing for a high-end fashion shoot.

She had always been into fashion even as a little girl, and it went on to catch the attention of the media when she married into royalty.

According to The Telegraph, Diana and Prince Charles first met “in a plowed field,” when she was just 16 and when he was 29. 

The former couple, when in an interview talking about their engagement in 1981, said they had no idea that they would get engaged and eventually marry.

"I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was," said a 32-year-old Charles. "I mean, great fun, and bouncy and full of life and everything." 

“We met 13 times and we got married,” Diana said in a documentary. She and Prince Charles married in 1981 and had two sons together, Prince William, now 38, and Prince Harry, now 36. Diana was the same age as Harry currently is when she died in a car crash in Paris 23 years ago in August 1997. 

In 1994, Prince Charles publicly admitted he was having an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, his now-wife. After which, she famously told British journalist Martin Bashir in 1995, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

It was the scandal of the decade, but Diana refused to play the role of the spurned woman. Instead, the very same night Charles made his confession, Diana expressed herself, bucked royal tradition, and showed her husband what he was losing all by wearing one simple LBD (little black dress, a must-have in every girl’s wardrobe, by the way).

It was a Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery, and Diana showed up in an off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian dress that violated the royal dress code. It was short, had an open back, and a plunging neckline. Kerry Taylor, head of the auction that sold off some of her wardrobe, told the press why it was dubbed the “revenge dress.”

“...some would have been like “I can’t face it this evening” Diana went out in that dress looking drop-dead gorgeous,” she told Woman Magazine. “She made a big statement right there.”

Suffice it to say that Princess Diana looked simply amazing — and not as if she just learned that her husband had cheated on her. Fittingly, this memorable 1990s fit earned the name of “the revenge dress” given the context and Diana’s decision to pull out all the stops. In other words, next time you’ve been wronged by your significant other, you may be able to send a subtle signal just by upping your style game. And remember, don’t forget a dazzling necklace.

Oprah Magazine wrote that although Diana’s real intentions for dressing in the figure-hugging dress were confirmed by the princess herself, the sapphire-and-pearl necklace was an equally conscious decision made. According to The Telegraph, the necklace was originally a Sri Lankan sapphire-and-diamond brooch gifted to Diana by the Queen Mother on the day of her and Charles’ wedding. The necklace is now either property of William or Harry, as she had stipulated in her will that her children would inherit almost all of her jewelry in the event of her death.

Do you think Diana wore this "I don't give a damn," outfit on purpose? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!