Diana: Her Fashion Story

24 February 2017 - 28 February 2018 Kensington Palace, London

An exhibition tracing the sartorial evolution of Diana, Princess of Wales, opens this February at her erstwhile London home, Kensington Palace.

Diana’s love and appreciation of fashion was well known and this display, featuring many of her most iconic ensembles, provides an opportunity to admire the craft and beauty of the garments, and learn about the enduring and collaborative relationships she had with some of her favourite designers. Marking the twentieth anniversary of her death, the exhibition also highlights the potency of dress as a powerful tool to communicate identity and how it can play an integral role in the construction of a memorable image.

Diana selected a number of the ensembles included in the exhibition to wear for her photographic sittings with Terence Donovan in the 1980s and 1990. Two portraits by Donovan are included in the exhibition; a June 1987 image of the princess wearing a sea-green satin dress by one of her favourite designers, Victor Edelstein, and a December 1987 portrait of her with the Prince of Wales in which she wears a pink satin tuxedo-style gown by Catherine Walker gown which was specially commissioned for the shoot.

More information about Donovan’s sittings with the Princess of Wales and images from the shoots, as well as contact sheets and images from his daybook, can be found in the archive section of the website.

‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’ is on display at Kensington Palace until the 28 February 2018.