Written by Megan C. Hills, CNN
Twenty-five years after her death, Princess Diana’s wardrobe continues to inspire new generations. From TikTok users painstakingly recreating her workout outfits to fashion fans securing cult items worn by the late queen, her style remains as influential as ever, sparking magazine photo shoots, collections of designer runways and reissues of her beloved pieces.
Recent movies and TV shows like “Spencer,” “The Crown” and the HBO Max documentary “The Princess” (HBO Max is owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery) have revived interest in Diana, introducing her her — and her story — both to millennials, some of whom may be too young to remember her, and to Gen Zers, who were born after her death in 1997. With “The Crown” on in particular, costume designer Amy Roberts paid attention to detail. as for consulting David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the original designers of her iconic wedding dress.
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Princess Diana remains a beloved figure more than 20 years after her untimely death. See more photos of the British icon and the legacy she left behind. Credit: Terence Donovan/Camera Press/Redux
However, as with the reimagining of that bridal look from the Netflix series – which saw actress Emma Corrin suffocated by the 25ft heavy train of her dress, amid ominous music and chilling snippets of British media coverage of the wedding – there has been a shift in the way we perceive Diana’s clothing today. While the fascination with iconic outfits, such as her famous Christina Stambolian “revenge dress” (pictured above) or the blue velvet dress she wore to the White House in 1985, remains utterly timeless, younger generations are embracing the look. its in pursuit of specific things. aesthetic.
Scroll through Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok, and you’ll notice that one particular part of Diana’s wardrobe has created new popularity among Gen Z: sporty, laid-back outfits from the ’80s and ’90s — the kind with which she was often photographed while visiting the gym. or watching polo matches. The quintessential ensemble includes an oversized sweatshirt, cycle shorts, chunky sneakers, sunglasses, vintage earrings and a designer bag, an effortless combination of streetwear, athleisure and glamor in a single look.
Princess Diana leaving the gym at the Chelsea Harbor Club in London in 1995 wearing an outfit often copied by fans of royal clothing. Credit: Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images
“My strongest impression of her style was bumping into her at the Harbor Club,” British designer Amanda Wakeley recalled in a 2020 retrospective of Diana’s style in British Vogue. “She was in her gym bag and wearing one of my cashmere blouses with satin cuffs on it. To me, that was a perfect image of her.”
In a highly referenced 2019 fashion spread for Vogue Paris, Hailey Bieber paid homage to the trend of logo hats, varsity sweaters and large pearl and gold earrings. “All credit and understanding to the stunningly beautiful and iconicly stylish Princess Diana, who I’ve looked to 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 such as Stephanie Yeboah, Melissa Soldera and Liv Phyland, among others, have also followed suit by recreating Diana’s style. “We love an outfit that promotes style as well as comfort,” Yeboah told CNN of Diana’s workout attire, noting that the changes in her fashion choices seemed to reflect her growing sense of self-confidence.
“This boost of confidence reflected in your clothes is something I resonate with so much, being a plus size person and slowly seeing a change in my (own) wardrobe as I got the boost of confidence I needed,” Yeboah said in an e-mail.
And on TikTok, users like Taylor Hage have shared tutorials on how to recreate special outfits. A recent video by Hage focuses on a much-referenced outfit worn by Diana at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor in 1988.
Another Princess Diana outfit often copied on social media is this — a sweatshirt from the British Lung Foundation (an organization Diana was a patron of), oversized blazer and baseball cap, which she wore at a polo match in 1988. Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images Photo Library
“We’ve all seen this Princess Diana look,” Hage tells her audience of 1.6 million followers, before offering her interpretation: straight jeans, a neutral turtleneck, blazer (“if you don’t have one, save one, borrow one from your dad, borrow one from your brother, boyfriend, whatever,” she said, “it’s essential”) and Western boots.
Others have gone even further, with TikTok user @simplesmurf creating a self-proclaimed “Princess Diana Stan” – in other words, a fan account dedicated to her. Alongside a host of vintage-inspired videos, the user discovers a selection of sweaters and other clothing worn or inspired by Diana, while sharing periodic updates on the latest finds from thrift stores and vintage retailers as they build their own collection. beyond.
Amid this growing nostalgia for ’80s fashion and pop culture, thanks in part to shows like “Stranger Things” and new designs from luxury brands like Chanel, it’s no surprise that Diana’s outfits have attracted renewed interest. For fans of the era like TikTok’s @simplesmurf, who refers to Princess Diana as a “project,” the princess’s outfits are a form of fashion history. “What an icon”, writes the user in a recent post.
Princess Diana pictured in 1994, wearing blazer, cream collar and trousers. Social media users have set out to recreate the effortless elegance of Princess Diana’s outfits, citing such looks as inspiration for ‘vintage’ fashion looks. Credit: Tom Wargacki/WireImage/Getty Images
Elements of Princess Diana’s wardrobe have also dipped into what TikTokers refer to as the “Old Money” aesthetic — a simple, aspirational style that mixes vintage and preppy pieces that seek to mimic the clothing of those who were born in wealth and privilege. . Princess Diana was perhaps the ultimate “Sloane Ranger” (a British term referring to London’s Sloane Square neighborhood and the stereotypical upper-middle-class women who usually live there), making her a natural fit for Pinterest boards “Old Money” and style inspiration. video.
A powerful inspiration
The pieces that illustrated how Diana challenged the traditional model of the British royal family – in particular, 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 scholar Eloise Moran explained the power of Diana’s “revenge dress,” which she wore the same day Prince Charles admitted to adultery. “I think that was the line drawn where she was in control and she was showing it to everybody,” Moran said. “You can make people really fear you — or fear you, or respect you, or whatever — through clothing.”
Another outfit that has been revamped Waves in recent years is a red fire truck knit sweater with a black and white sheep pattern that Diana wore to a polo match in 1980. Widely interpreted as a subtle message that she felt like a foreign — or “black sheep.” — the sweater was given a new lease of life when clothing brand Rowing Blazers approached its original designers, heritage label Warm & Wonderful, to relaunch the piece in 2020.
Originally created by Warm and Wonderful and worn by Princess Diana in 1980, this red knit sweater was recently brought back by the brand in a collaboration with Rowing Blazers. It quickly went viral and sold out instantly. Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images Photo Library
At the time, Rowing Blazers creative director Jack L. Carson told CNN that sales translated into “three months of sweaters in an hour and a half” after the article went viral online. (The original sweatshirt resides in the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.) The pattern has since appeared on tea towels, suitcases and vests.
Diana’s enduring fascination with clothing has also been seen on the runway. The late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, for example, cited the late princess as his muse for Off-White’s Spring-Summer 2018 collection. Staged in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, the show featured footage of Abloh in some of her most striking “off-duty” looks, including references to specific outfits, including a denim jumpsuit and white cowboy boots, 80s style polo shirts, her staple shorts and oversized jackets.
A white patterned blouse worn by Princess Diana in 1983, reimagined by Virgil Abloh as a look in Off-White’s Spring-Summer 2018 collection. Credit: Getty Images
“She was a strong individual who despite her position had her own personal taste,” Abloh told British Vogue in a 2017 interview, “and that came through the clothes.” (That same year, fashion search platform Lyst wrote in its annual trends report that “Diana’s style choices hit us again,” reporting increased searches for her key outfits.)
“Her personal taste was very different from what she had to wear. It’s an inspiration,” he said.
