Discover Princess Diana’s style at Kensington Palace

Emanuel, Princess Diana
The Emanuel blouse worn for Diana’s engagement portrait by Lord Snowdon in 1981. Credit: SWNS.com

A fabulous exhibition of fashion icon Princess Diana’s stunning outfits explores her public style at her former home, Kensington Palace.

Princess Diana
Victor Edelstein’s blue velvet gown worn when the Princess danced with John Travolta. Credit: SWNS.com

A new exhibition at Kensington Palace is set to remember the fabulous style of its former resident, Diana, Princess of Wales, who captivated the nation becoming the ‘People’s Princess’.

Twenty years on from her tragic death, Diana: Her Fashion Story will celebrate her life by tracing the evolution of the her style, from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances in 1981, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life.

Princess Diana, Tartan blue suit
The blue tartan Emanuel suit, worn for an official visit to Venice in the 1980s, will go on display for the first time. Credit: SWNS.com

Opening on February 24, the exhibition shows how, right from her earliest royal engagements, everything Diana wore was closely scrutinised, and explores how she navigated her unique position in the public eye: learning to use her image to engage and inspire people, and to champion the causes she cared about.

Exhibition curator Eleri Lynn, says: “Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most photographed women in the world, and every fashion choice she made was closely scrutinised. Our exhibition explores the story of a young woman who had to quickly learn the rules of royal and diplomatic dressing, who in the process put the spotlight on the British fashion industry and designers.

“We see her growing in confidence throughout her life, increasingly taking control of how she was represented, and intelligently communicating through her clothes. This is a story many women around the world can relate to.”

Exhibition highlights will include the pale pink Emanuel blouse worn for Diana’s engagement portrait by Lord Snowdon in 1981, and Victor Edelstein’s iconic ink blue velvet gown, famously worn at the White House when the Princess danced with John Travolta. A blue tartan Emanuel suit, worn for an official visit to Venice in the 1980s, will go on display in public for the first time. The suit, a rare survival of the Princess’s daywear, was only recently rediscovered and acquired by Historic Royal Palaces – the charity responsible for Kensington Palace – at auction.

While in residence at Kensington Palace, the Princess admired the changing floral displays in the historic Sunken Garden and would often stop to talk to the gardeners who care for it. In 2017, the gardeners at Kensington will dedicate the new planting in the garden to Diana, creating a temporary White Garden.

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