Diana’s Dresses

Diana: Glimpses of A Modern Princess, is a small but dreamy little exhibition at Kensington Palace. The exhibition, curated by interior designer Finola Inger, showcases 5 of Diana’s evening dresses, oooh what a delight! The whole thing has been beautifully designed, with the most stunning brightly coloured wallpaper lining the walls of the room. Artist Julie Verhoeven was asked to sketch some copies of famous Diana photographs, the deliciously vivid result is a great modern tribute.

The dresses are, as you would expect, well out of touching reach, safely behind glass and gently lit. It’s great to see the dresses up close though, I love seeing dresses that hold great provenance and these are pretty iconic pieces.

The five dresses displayed are;

  • Pink & Purple dress by Catherine Walker. Worn during official visit to Thailand, 1988, and at a London film premier

  • Ivory crepe evening gown by Catherine Walker. Made especially for a state dinner for the King & Queen of Malaysia, 1993. Also worn for iconic portrait by Mario Testino

  • Black taffeta evening dress by Emanuel. Worn to Goldsmiths Hall in London for her first official engagement, 1981

  • Black & white cocktail dress by Bellville Sasoon-Lorcan Mullany, 1989. Worn at charity gala performance at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, 1990

  • Black cocktail dress by Gianni Versace, worn at Apollo 13 film premiere, London, 1995

This exhibition has now ended, for more information visit http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace