Lady Diana Spencer: An icon that continues to influence fashion today
Glamour, beauty, elegance, kindness and humanity: Lady Diana was a true fashionista back in the day. Her bold style choices have not only made her a muse for fashion houses like Dior and Gucci, but also continue to inspire us in the modern era. Here's a look at how the people's princess is still the ultimate fashion influencer.
The Lady Dior Bag
One of the most popular designer bags of all time, and a favourite of Princess Diana herself, the Lady Dior bag was first launched in 1994 under the creative direction of Gianfranco Ferre and was nicknamed 'Chouchou'. In September 1995, the Lady Dior bag was gifted to Diana by France’s First Lady, Bernadette Chirac, during her visit to the Cézanne exhibition at the Grand Palais Paris.
Diana was very taken by the creation and was seen carrying it on many occasions, such as a visit to the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, and during a state visit to Argentina, where she was spotted leaving the plane carrying the bag. To pay homage to the princess, the bag was christened “Lady Dior” in 1996.
The Gucci Diana Bag
The story of Gucci’s Diana bag started after its release in 1991. The Princess of Wales was often seen carrying the roomy, square-shaped bag with bamboo handles. One iconic photograph of the princess shows her rummaging through the bag as she leaves the gym in white biker shorts and a Northwestern sweatshirt.
In July 2020, Gucci decided to reissue the bag, modernising it by adding a neon band that stretched across the straps. The reinvented version of the bag has been seen on celebrities like Sienna Miller, Elle Fanning and Alexa Chung.
The Revenge Dress
The iconic off-the-shoulder black silk evening gown designed by Christian Stambolian is still the talk of the town today. Lady Diana opted to wear the dress to a fundraising dinner event for the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens hosted by Vanity Fair, on the 29th of June 1994. Its significance? She wore it on the same evening Prince Charles confessed to his infidelity with Camilla Parker.
Two decades on, the revenge dress has stood the test of time as a trend. Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Garner have been known to don slinky, sultry numbers similar to Lady Di’s revenge dress as newly single women.
Cottagecore before it was a trend
Tiny florals, pastels, prairie dresses, linens, cotton, ruffles, lace billowy sleeves and silhouettes. The cottagecore aesthetic has exploded on social media. The Princess of Wales, however, was already rocking the trend back in the '80s. Some of her outfits, including her stunning wedding dress, are a cottagecore dream that would not look out of place on Instagram today.
The original off-duty look
We are all familiar with the model-off-duty look. Laidback yet effortlessly chic, Diana epitomised the off-duty athleisure look in her day. A-list celebrities, as well as major fashion magazines, continue to re-create and take inspiration from her looks.
Hailey Beiber appeared in a photoshoot for Vogue Paris in a look inspired by the iconic photographs of Princess Diana about town in biker shorts, an oversized "Fly Atlantic" pullover and chunky sneakers. Another look re-created for the shoot was an outfit the princess wore to watch Prince Charles in a polo match.
