I must have at least a dozen books about Diana's fashions. One dating from as early as 1985 to this one. A dearth of these books came out after the princess died in 1997 when people tried to make sense of her legacy or cash in on the timing.
In the decade or so since her death,
Diana Style by Colin McDowell is one of many books commemorating her life. This one looks at Diana from a fashion perspective.Ultimately these types of book reveal nothing new, but they're still enjoyable to look at.
One thing that it most remarked about Diana was her personal appearance. Although she tried to downplay this when it came to promoting serious causes, it was an undeniable fact. She used the clothes she wore to communicate. Whether it was velvet for a visit to a school for the blind, red to convey confidence, length to respect cultural differences, or a dress with embroidered falcons to compliment the ruling house of Saudia Arabia. Her fashion choices were deliberate and flawlessly executed.
This book discusses the evolution of her style from the infamous black dress she wore to her first evening engagement prior to her marriage. To the equally infamous black revenge dress, she wore on the night that Prince Charles admitted he had committed adultery. These dresses, worn respectively in 1981 and 1994 act as bookends to her royal life. But the story does not end there, as it evolves even further to cover her fashions up to her death.
At the time of her death I believe that Diana was just coming into her own, fashion wise. Gone were the pie crust collars, veiled hats, head-to-toe outfit colors, and lacqured hair. In its place, figure flattering Versace dresses, simplier make-up and more natural looking hair. While I loved the simplicity of her later dresses, towards the end of her life, I found her face looked hard and high maintenance. Gone was the romantic, youthful freshness of her early married life. Even if some of her outfits have not stood the test of time, I still prefer the early Diana.
This book is a manual of a royal woman discovering herself and her style. It freeze frames Diana's fashions throughout her career, the good and the bad, from head to toe. While we'll never know just how Diana's fashions would have evolved, this is a good reminder of a royal style icon in the making
© Marilyn Braun 2010
When Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement to the world on November 16th, they revealed the much speculated engagement ring. This ring, once belonging to Diana, Princess of Wales, caused some controversy, one of the few times in royal history that a piece of jewellery has done so. 
The choice has provoked discussion amongst royal watchers as to whether it is appropriate for Kate to wear the ring. Some feel that just because Diana wore the ring, it should not be seen as a bad omen or curse. Others feel that the couple should have made a fresh start. The ring, beautiful though it is, is so strongly associated with Diana, that for the rest of Kate's life she will have the constant reminder of Diana whether she likes it or not. Comparisons are inevitable, the ring more than guarantees that. 
When people attempt to describe the wedding dress of Diana, Princess of Wales, the words voluminous, iconic, meringue, fairy-tale tend to be used. But it's difficult to put into words the impact of it both on fashion and on the memory of those who watched Diana alight from the carriage, as if a 'butterfly emerging from a chrysalis'. Unlike any royal wedding dress before or since Diana's will always be in a league of its own. 
The dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, took four months to make and was made of ivory pure silk taffeta. The bodice was fitted and boned with a wide frill around the curved neckline. It has embroidered lace panels on the front and back. The sleeves are full and gathered into a taffeta frill at the elbow with lace flounce underneath. The skirt of the dress as full, worn over a crinoline petticoat consisting of many layers of ivory tulle and trimmed around the waist and hem with embroidered lace.
The train, trimmed with lace, was 25-feet long - the longest to date. 
Diana carried a large, cascading bouquet. On her feet Diana wore slippers by Clive Shilton. Trimmed with lace from the dress, and made of silk duchess satin, dyed to match the color of the dress, the shoes had 542 mother-of-pearl sequins on each pair, each knotted by hand. The fluted heel was made of bits of leather and wood and the soles were hand-painted with the letters "C" and "D" entwined with a heart. 
I must have at least a dozen books about Diana's fashions. One dating from as early as 1985 to this one. A dearth of these books came out after the princess died in 1997 when people tried to make sense of her legacy or cash in on the timing.
