As part of the commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, Kensington Palace will host an exhibition, Diana: Her Fashion Story, featuring some of her most iconic gowns from over the years.
The exhibition will include 26 of her most famous outfits, including the Victor Edelstein dress she wore for her last official portrait before her death in 1997; the daring black cocktail dress she wore to a party at The Serpentine that became known as “The Revenge Dress” after Prince Charles admitted to his adultery on national TV; and the blue velvet gown she wore to dance with John Travolta at the 1985 Whitehouse gala dinner.
The pieces on display have been loaned from museums, and private collections and some items have never been shown in public before.
Curator Eleri Lynn describes the exhibition as a visual representation of the journey that Diana went on from her origins as a meek young girl, to a confident single woman.
Diana famously used fashion as a communication medium, with both the outside world in general and to show her sensitivity when dealing with individuals. Prime examples of this are the glove she removed to shake hands with an Aids patient in a 1991 trip to Brazil, and the chunky jewellery she wore to visit children in hospital so that they would have something to play with.
Diana: Her Fashion Story opens on 24th February 2017 and runs until the end of the year. Entrance is included in the standard palace admission price, which is £16.50 until the 28th of February, and £19 from the 1st of March. Discounts are available for online booking.
