An exhibit honoring Diana, Princess of Wales’ fashion legacy opened Feb. 24 at the Kensington Palace, according to ABC News. The collection is titled “Diana: Her Fashion Story.” Twenty-five of the late princess’s dresses are on display, almost 20 years after her untimely death in 1997.
Princess Diana was a fashion icon during her lifetime. The collection organized by charity Historic Royal Palaces features pieces remembered for the clothes themselves, as well as the events they represented.
Among these are multiple pieces by Catherine Walker, whom ABC News notes as a favorite designer of Diana’s. During a 1989 trip to Hong Kong, Diana debuted the “Elvis dress,” which she was to wear again, that Walker designed. The dress was strapless and white, with a matching jacket that featured a high collar and elbow length sleeves. Both pieces were covered in sequins and pearls.
In 1994, Diana wore a Walker sequin-embellished black halter gown to Versailles; and in 1997 she wore a floral Walker to an auction by Christie’s. The same year, she chose one of the designer’s suits to wear at the Savoy for a charity event. All of these appear in the collection.
Other featured pieces include a beaded silk Atelier Versace that the princess wore for a photoshoot for Harper’s Bazaar, and a familiar Bruce Oldfield gown in cream, with a satin body and ruffled lace overlay and sleeves.
Another easily recognizable Walker piece, the wide-shouldered, drop-waisted evening gown in pink, which Diana wore for a 1987 portrait, also appears. There is the outfit of Diana’s first public appearance after she and Prince Charles divorced, and a black off-shoulder gown from a 1985 White House visit, during which the princess was photographed in a dance with John Travolta.
The designs shown all range from when Diana was in her twenties to when she was 36, her age when she died, ABC News reports.
