Written by Megan C. Hills, CNN
25 years after her death, Princess Diana’s wardrobe continues to inspire new generations. From Tik Tok users dutifully replicating her workout outfits to fashion fans bringing up the royal’s late-night wear rituals, her style remains as influential as ever, repurposing magazine photos, designer runway collections and her favorite pieces.
Recent movies and TV shows like “Spencer,” “The Crown” and the HBO Max documentary “The Princess” (HBO Max is CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery) have reignited interest in Diana, introducing her — and her story — to both As for millennials, some of whom may be too young to remember her, and Gen Xers born after her death in 1997. With “The Crown” in particular, costume designer Amy Roberts paid attention to detail. As far as consulting with David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the main designers of her stunning wedding dress.
Diana’s amazing fashion moments
However, like the Netflix series reinterpreting that bridal scene – actress Emma Corrine was swallowed by the heavy 25-foot train of her dress, which saw shocking music and gruesome footage of the wedding in the British media – said to change the way we see Diana’s wardrobe today. Like the famous Christina Stambolian “revenge dress” (pictured above) or Beauty.
Scroll through Pinterest, Instagram or TikTok and you’ll notice that part of Diana’s wardrobe has become a new favorite among Gen Z: Sporting retro outfits from the ’80s and ’90s — the kind she was often photographed hitting the gym with or attending polo matches. The essential collection includes an oversized sweatshirt, cycle shorts, chunky sneakers, sunglasses, vintage earrings and a designer bag, effortlessly streetwear, athletic and glamorous in one look.
Princess Diana Credit: Anwar Hussain/WireImage/Getty Images
British designer Amanda Wakeley said in a 2020 British Vogue retrospective of Diana’s style, “My strong feelings about her opinion were going into her at the Harbor Club.” “She was in her exercise kit and threw on one of my cashmere sweaters with satin cuffs. To me, that was the perfect image of her.”
In her most talked-about 2019 fashion spread for Vogue Paris, Hailey Bieber paid homage to the trend for logo-embellished hats, university sweaters, and oversized pearl and gold earrings. All credit and thanks to Princess Diana, the stunningly beautiful and visually stylish Princess Diana when I’ve looked to her for style inspiration for as long as I can remember, Bieber wrote on Instagram alongside a selection of images from the shoot. “Thank you for leaving behind such an iconic legacy of fashion and style.”
On Instagram, celebrities like Stephanie Yeboah, Melissa Soldera, and Liv Philand have followed suit by replicating Diana’s style. Regarding Diana’s workout wear, she told CNN, “We love clothes that promote style and comfort,” adding that the changes in her fashion choices reflect her confidence.
“That growth in confidence is reflected in your clothes. I’m seeing a change in my (own) wardrobe as I get older and gain the confidence I need,” Yeboah said in an email.
And on TikTok, users like Taylor Hedge have shared tutorials on how to recreate unique outfits. Hague’s latest video focuses on the much-quoted dress worn by Diana to the Guards Polo Club in Windsor in 1988.
Another piece of Princess Diana’s clothing that is frequently copied on social media is this – a sweatshirt from the British Lung Foundation (an organization Diana was a supporter of), a baseball cap she wore to a polo match in 1988. Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images
“We’ve all seen this Princess Diana look,” Hage tells her audience of 1.6 million followers before offering her interpretation — straight-leg jeans, a neutral sweater, a blazer, borrow one from your dad, your brother, your boyfriend, whatever, she says, “it’s important.” And western boots.
Others continued still, with TikTok user @simplesmurf naming herself “Princess Diana Stan Assisi” – in other words, a fan account dedicated to her. Alongside many vintage-inspired videos, the user can see sweaters and other items worn by or inspired by Diana, sharing updates on the latest finds from thrift stores and vintage clothing retailers as they further build their collection.
In this era of ’80s fashion and pop culture nostalgia, thanks in part to throwback designs from the likes of “Stranger Things” and luxury brands like Chanel, it’s little wonder Diana’s outfits have caught a new interest. For contemporary fans like TikTok’s @simplesmurf, who refer to Princess Diana as a “blueprint,” the princess’s clothes are a form of fashion history. “What an icon,” the user wrote in a recent post.
Princess Diana Social media users are planning to recreate the effortless elegance of Princess Diana’s outfits, which appear to be inspired by “old money” fashion looks. Credit: Tom Wargacki/WireImage/Getty Images
Princess Diana’s wardrobe is steeped in what TikTokers call an “old money” aesthetic — a tongue-in-cheek, aspirational style that seeks to mimic the wardrobes of people born into wealth and privilege, vintage and preppy. . Princess Diana was perhaps the ultimate “Sloane Ranger” (an English term referring to London’s Sloane Square neighborhood and the upper-middle-class women who typically lived there), making her a staple of “old money” Pinterest boards and style inspiration. Videos.
A powerful inspiration.
Examples of how Diana challenged the traditional mold of the British royal family – particularly in the years after her divorce from Prince Charles – are also resonating with fashionable young people looking to assert their individuality.
Speaking to CNN last year, fashion expert Eloise Moran explained how Diana’s “revenge dress” was the day Prince Charles admitted to adultery. “I think that was the line that she controlled, and she showed that to everybody,” Moran said. “You can really make people fear you — or be embarrassed by you, or respect you, or whatever — with clothes.”
Renovated other clothes In recent years, Diana wore a white and black sheep print fire truck red sweater to a polo match in 1980. Broadly translated, it’s a subtle message that she feels like an outsider – or a “black sheep”. The sweater got a new lease of life when clothing brand Rowing Blazers approached its original designers, Warm and Fabulous, to launch its legacy in 2020.
This red knit sweater, originally warm and glamorous and worn by Princess Diana in 1980, has recently been re-released by the brand in collaboration with Rowing Blazers. It soon went viral and sold out instantly. Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images
Rowing Blazers creative director Jack L. Carson told CNN at the time. After the item was released online, sales translated into “three months worth of sweaters in an hour and a half.” (The original sweater is housed in the permanent collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.) The design has since appeared on tea towels, luggage and clothing.
Diana’s enduring fascination with her wardrobe was also evident on the runway. The late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, for example, cited a dead princess as his muse for Off-White’s Spring-Summer 2018 collection. In the year Held in 2017, to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, Abloh featured some of her most iconic “off-duty” looks, including a denim jumpsuit and white cowboy boots, along with an ’80s-style polo. shirts, her basic cycling shorts and an oversized jacket.
In the year The patterned white top worn by Princess Diana in 1983, revisited by Virgil Abloh in Off-White’s Spring-Summer 2018 collection. Credit: Getty Images
Abloh told British Vogue in a 2017 interview, “She was a strong individual with her own taste, despite her status, and it came out in clothes.” (That same year, the fashion search platform Lyst wrote that Diana’s “style choices have influenced us again” in its annual trends, reporting on her successes in searching her wardrobe.)
“Her personal taste was very different from what she had to wear. This is an inspiration,” he said.
