Twenty years after her death, a new exhibition at Kensington Palace reframes Princess Diana’s story, casting her not as a victim but as an empowered modern woman who actively shaped her identity. ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’ charts the evolution of her image from teenage ingenue to international star, using a unique lineup of dresses to explore her mastery of visual messaging.
Curator Eleri Lynn, who collaborated with Diana’s favoured designers and photographers, said: “Everyone who worked with her recalls that she knew what she liked and was very active in her own image-making.” Lynn noted that despite the public’s strong impression of Diana, there is little footage of her speaking; much of what people think they know comes from still photographs.
One dress in the exhibition, a brightly coloured Bellville Sassoon floral design, became a favourite for children’s hospital visits, always paired with chunky jewellery that gave nervous children something to focus on. Diana never ordered the matching wide-brimmed hat, explaining, “you can’t cuddle a child if you are wearing a hat.” She also used fashion to convey approachability during visits to HIV patients.
Diana’s ‘revenge dress’, worn the night in 1994 when her husband admitted his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, is well known. However, this exhibition focuses on her style used for public causes. After her wedding, few of the most famous images of Diana feature Charles; her persona is very much as a single woman in the spotlight.
Among the exhibits are the Victor Edelstein dress she wore dancing with John Travolta at the White House, and a gown marked by what curators believe to be fingerprints from her sons Princes William and Harry. The exhibition also highlights Diana’s lasting style influence, seen in modern trends like pie-crust collar blouses and homage collections.
