Diana: Her Fashion Story Exhibition

Each Historic Royal Palace has its focus, and for Kensington Palace, it is Queen Victoria and the modern royals. And with the modern royals, they tend to look at fashion in particular. Now, as someone who loves royal history and fashion history, it is perfect for me. The Palace gets dismissed as being one of the more feminine palaces, but I think it is part of the charm. It’s also the perfect backdrop for a fashion history exhibition. The Diana: Her Fashion exhibition looks at some of the most famous pieces of one of Kensington’s most infamous residents.

Kensington Palace has quite a range of exhibitions. The Queen’s Apartments are a window to the Stuart palace, while the King’s Apartments show the Georgian palace. Queen Victoria is always represented somehow, including her tiaras… And I have to say, the 2013 Fashion Rules exhibition is still one of my favourites, period. I was curious to see another fashion history exhibition from HRP, after Fashion Rules- would it be different? Similar? Would it have the same spark running through it?

I must say, I was not disappointed. Once again, the curators of Historic Royal Palaces did a fantastic job with creating the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition. I recognised some infamous dresses while discovering many lesser known ones. Although I was too young to really remember Diana’s fashion for myself, I’ve done enough royal reading to be able to place certain pieces, and the new-to-me pieces were good fun. They always balance exposition with the piece itself really well, which is invaluable. There was enough background information- who made it and where she wore it- to give context, but not so much to pull your attention. Other than random women crying as they walked through the exhibition, I had an entirely lovely time! (I don’t know that I feel connected enough to anyone outside of my friends/family to cry openly, and even then it probably isn’t going to be in public. I feel like the etiquette would say to not wander through crying…)

Diana: Her Fashion Story: Catherine Walker 

You notice almost immediately that Catherine Walker was a popular choice for the Princess of Wales. Her pieces pop up all throughout the exhibition, and are easy to spot. This blush pink gown is a particularly striking gown. Though the colour is muted, the design makes a statement. As you learn from the information provided, Diana needed a dress to balance out Prince Charles’ uniform. And dare I say it, I think she accomplished it.

I was a tad spoiled by the Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition, getting the design history of each piece. Getting the story behind it tends to make the garment more interesting- I loved this particular backstory. In late June 1997, Diana held an auction of nearly 80 gowns to raise money for the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund and a few different AIDS charities. “The Princess commissioned this dress to wear to the New York gala event before the Christie’s auction. She wanted the embroidery to be light and understated, as a contrast to the more elaborate outfits on sale.” (Exhibition info) I’m not sure why, but I specifically remember this dress from when I was younger- it is much more gorgeous in person. And just like the Countess of Wessex’s 2011 royal wedding ensemble, it is quite something see a dress you remember.

This 1992 green velvet Catherine Walker evening gown also makes quite a statement. Inspired by a smoking jacket, the gown was very on trend in the 1990s. It is difficult to tell in a picture, but the velvet looked incredibly luxurious. I think what really stood out to me in this exhibition is Catherine Walker’s range as a designer. There are some common elements in her pieces, but there is quite a range.

Diplomatic Dressing

I shared a History Bite post on Diana’s diplomatic dressing, and this is another fantastic example of it! “The Princess wore this dress by British designer Zandra Rhodes for a state banquet in Kyoto, Japan. Its striking pink colour echoed the cherry blossoms that were in flower at the time of the royal visit.” (Modern ROyal Fashion: Seven Royal Women and Their Style. Deirdre Murphy and Cassie Davies-Strodder. Historic Royal Palaces: Hampton Court Palace, 2015. p. 103) I know that some people think it is a bit too on the nose when royals dress for a country or visit. However, I think that it shows a keen understanding of the power of fashion.

The Casual Princess 

My favourite pieces in the entire exhibition were her casual ensembles. Although I had yet to be born in 1982, this plaid suit that Diana wore on their honeymoon is iconic for me. Fun fact: apparently she asked designer Bill Pashley to create two versions of the suit, with this being a roomier fit to allow for more movement for shooting and other outdoor pursuits. It looks super comfortable, and I would totally wear this myself… Can we please bring this back?!

The coat on the left (from designer Emmanuel) is 80s in shape, but I think it did an excellent job of making a statement. However, apparently it was heavily critiqued by the press. I think it hit the target, though. Tartan is always in fashion, especially for the British Royal Family. Not to mention, that oversized boxy shape is back in fashion.

The Caroline Charles dress on the left is pretty perfect, and quite frankly, with slightly different detailing, I would wear this. According to the exhibition, “[t]raditionally the Royal Family wear tartan and Scottish dress when attending the Highland Games, and Diana adapted this unwritten royal protocol. She added a contemporary 1980s twist to this tradition with contrasting white collars and cuffs. This design saw its influence reflected in the high street of the time.” Although I know that most people went to this exhibition to see the gowns, but these casual pieces were quietly perfect.

Did you catch the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition? What is your favourite royal style memory? 

Cheers,
The Historian
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