Princess Dressed The Part When It Came To Gowns, She Even Shed Them In Style

Sun., Sept. 7, 1997

Mary Gottschalk Philadelphia Inquirer

Princess Diana’s legacies are many - her sons, her work for charities, her efforts to educate and increase awareness of AIDS, her appearances on behalf of breast cancer research, her most recent trip to draw attention to the dangers of land mines and, yes, her style and fashion.

It seems almost trivial to talk of clothes and jewelry right now. But both were central to Diana’s life, and her personal style had a definite impact on the fashion world. As she moved from the fairy tale ruffles and bows of her early 20s into the modern, minimalist styles of her 30s, the whole world watched and many of us imitated.

It started with the engagement ring - that beautiful blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds - and continued with the shepherdess wedding gown.

Copies of the gown were available all over the world within a week. The ring was duplicated and you still see it regularly in jewelry advertisements.

There was also the short hairstyle and the sense of humor, as in the selection of a sweater patterned with white sheep and a lone black one. That sweater was copied at all price levels and you still see it on sweatshirts.

Like any young woman searching for her personal style, Diana experimented constantly. Some things caught on - her love of pearls gave the industry an incredible boost - and like Coco Chanel she freely mixed real with faux. Other things are best forgotten; remember the terrible blue eyeliner period?

As an ambassador of British style, Diana exceeded all hopes and expectations. At the time she turned royal, interest in British fashion had turned sour. However, when Diana began making personal appearances at the official receptions, the press flocked back.

Initially Shy Di, then strengthened by adversity, Diana began to recognize the power of her glamour and used it effectively. She will always be remembered in the pale blue ruffled gown she dozed off in at the symphony, the pearl-encrusted white gown with what she jokingly called the “Elvis collar” and the sexy little black dress she wore the evening her once charming prince announced his adultery. Because of those clothes and others, she also couldn’t be ignored when shaking the hand of a man with AIDS, cuddling a child dying of cancer or wearing protective gear to walk near a field of hidden land mines.

When the gowns no longer fit her lifestyle, she made them work magic one last time - auctioning 80 of them off in June and donating the more than $3 million in proceeds to fight pediatric AIDS and breast cancer.

Diana may have no longer held royal status at the time of her death, but she was more a real princess than we shall ever see again.

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