Princess Diana’s Iconic Dresses To Feature In New Exhibition At Kensington Palace

Some of the iconic dresses worn by Princess Diana will be put up in an exhibition at Kensington Palace. Fashion Rules; Restyled will include stunning garments worn by the Princess of Wales, as well as fellow royal fashion icons Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II. However, the highlights of the display will be the Diana’s fabulous outfits.

It will feature an all-new display of around 20 dresses plus accessories, including sunglasses, scarves and capes, from the wardrobes of the three royal fashionistas. It will explore how the women navigated the fashion rules defined by their royal duties in unique style. But it is Diana’s tailored outfits created for her in the early 1990s, which has generated much excitement among royal fans.

One of the most iconic pieces to go on display is a bottle green velvet halterneck dress from Catherine Walker that the late princess wore for a photoshoot with Mario Testino. Another gown included is a black and green tartan number. The dress is also by Catherine Walker which Diana wore to an event at Balmoral in 1990.

“From a much-copied tartan and black velvet evening gown designed for an evening of Scottish dancing at Balmoral, to the double-breasted styling of a bottle green silk velvet halterneck worn privately by the princess -- and later made famous by Mario Testino’s iconic photographs commissioned to support the sale of her dresses at Christies -- the display will explore how Diana’s wardrobe had the power to set trends both at home and abroad, and represented a truly modern royal style,” said a spokesperson for Historic Royal Palaces.

The designer was known to have supplied the princess with over 1,000 outfits and dressed her in some of her most iconic numbers to date. Meanwhile, it will also house a Hardy Amies ivory dress with intricate beading on the bodice and a simple satin skirt that Elizabeth wore to an event in the 1970s as well as a bright orange kaftan-style dress that the monarch was spotted wearing in 1979.

Besides, Margaret’s fur stole and a round tortoiseshell sunglasses that she was seen wearing outside Clarence House to celebrate the Queen Mother’s 99th birthday in 1999 will also go on display. This exhibition comes close on the heels of Fashion Rules, which was very popular with the visitors, said Libby Thompson curator of Historic Royal Palaces. Fashion Rules; Restyled is sponsored by Estée Lauder Companies and opens at the palace on Feb. 11.