While finding the perfect outfit can sometimes feel like a royal pain, fashion lovers still take cues from the iconic wardrobe of the late Princess Diana.
“She had really sort of transcended fashion and achieved an incredible chic and elegance,” Eleri Lynn, curator of the “Diana: Her Fashion Story” exhibit formerly at Kensington Palace, told Vanity Fair in 2017, “all you saw was her, and the clothes became secondary to her own presence and her work.”
Over the years, the princess—who would’ve turned 64 July 1—wore a range of looks that became enshrined in fashion history. Among them: The wedding gown she donned for her marriage to King CharlesIII in 1981, the “revenge dress” she wore to a Vanity Fair party in 1994 after her split from the then-Prince of Wales became public and countless other outfits she slipped into during royal events and visits abroad.
But even when Diana wasn’t dressed for a formal occasion, she reminded fans that casual could be cool—as seen through her stylish overalls and effortlessly chic combination of sweatshirts and bike shorts.
“She did clearly have fun with fashion,” Lynn added, “and she took risks . . . and experimented with her style. She was the first member of the royal family to be photographed wearing trousers to evening events. But she often teamed that with tuxedo jackets and bowties—that’s quite the bold, fun look that you don’t necessarily expect of a princess.”
Of course, Diana was particularly mindful of her clothing when championing the many causes close to her heart.
She would often go for, “Cheerful, colorful clothes, because she wanted to convey approachability and warmth,” Lynn continued. “She didn’t wear gloves because she liked to hold people’s hands. She would sometimes wear chunky jewelry so that children could play with it, and she never wore hats to children’s hospitals after a while, because she said you couldn’t cuddle a child in a hat.”
And she took wearing her heart on her sleeve seriously.
“Diana always made sure her clothing supported her work,” Matthew Storey, curator of Kensington Palace’s current exhibition “Dress Codes,” said in a February 2025 video for Historic Royal Palaces, “and perhaps the best example of that is the auction in 1997, where she sold 79 of her dresses, raising over $3.25 million for HIV/AIDS and cancer charities.”
Even 28 years after her death, Diana continues to be among a select few to take the crown of fashion legend.
“The princess had a real openness to trying different styles,” Storey added,” and seeing what her designers could offer her.”
In honor of her birthday, see more of her timeless fashions.
Off-the-Shoulder
PrincessDiana wore a range of styles during her lifetime. And when it came to gowns specifically, she played with different necklines and cuts, including off-the-shoulder.
Consider the chiffon David Sassoon gown she picked for a trip to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 1981, which featured a pink and blue pattern, sparkly embellishments and ribbon detailing. To complete her look, she accessorized with a pearl choker, matching bracelet, diamond drop earrings and a clutch purse.
The princess also wore a lavender off-the-shoulder gown with bow detailing by Donald Campbell while attending the ballet in Auckland, New Zealand, with her then-husband King Charles (formerly Prince Charles) in 1983. For her jewelry, she opted for the Prince of Wales Feathers necklace and pearl drop earrings.
And of course, fans can’t forget about her famous “revenge dress,” which was designed by Christina Stambolian and Diana wore to a Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery in 1994. She donned the dress on the same night ITN’s interview with her estranged husband Charles aired and he admitted he was faithful to Diana in their marriage “until it became irretrievably broken down.”
Another famous example? The midnight blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown Diana wore to the White House nearly a decade before in 1985, where she shared a dance with John Travolta (leading to the dress being dubbed the “Travolta dress”).
Pop of Pink
When it came to her wardrobe, Diana also sported a rainbow of colors. Among her often-wore hues? Pink. During a 1985 visit to Sicily, for instance, Diana wore a pink Catherine Walker dress featuring voluminous sleeves and a pleated skirt. To finish the ensemble, she added a matching hat by milliner John Boyd, a white clutch and pearls.
Diana suited up in a similar hue, this time a Versace number, during a 1995 trip to Argentina—adding gold knot earrings, a black bag and matching heels.
Chokers
Diana also rocked bold accessories, including choker necklaces. Like this sparkly one she wore to complement her purple Versace dress for a gala dinner at Chicago’s Field Museum in 1996.
Similarly, Diana wore a pearl choker necklace while visiting a Commonwealth War Graves ceremony in Anzio on her 1985 Royal Tour of Italy with Charles. The statement piece matched her pearl earrings. However, these weren’t her only accessories. Diana also donned a red and white hat, which coordinated with her red striped Catherine Walker dress, and a gold watch.
Color Blocking
You’ll want to bow down to her use of color blocking, too. Take, for instance, the blue and white seen in Diana’s Catherine Walker suit and Philip Somerville hat during her visit to Dubai in 1989.
Or her use of pink and red in her suit and hat by the designers during the same visit.
Puffed Sleeves
While there are several examples of Diana wearing puffed sleeves (a popular style in the ’80s), perhaps the most famous is the dress she wore for her wedding to Charles in 1981. Designed by David and ElizabethEmanuel, the gown also featured a scooped neckline adorned with ruffles and bows, bodice overlaid with lace, full skirt and 25-foot train.
Diana and Charles split in 1992 before finalizing their divorce four years later.
One-Shoulder
Another style Diana occasionally sported was the one-shoulder gown. In 1985, she wore a white, crystal-beaded silk chiffon dress by Hachi for a visit to the National Gallery in Washington D.C.
There was also the blue asymmetrical dress by Bruce Oldfield featuring ruffles and a circular pattern that she wore to a fashion show benefitting Birthright, an organization of which she was patron. Diana added her signature pearl choker necklace, matching bracelet, earrings and a clutch.
Jacket Draping
When it came to outerwear, Diana would also sport a variety of options—including varsity jackets, wool coats and puffers. And sometimes, she would simply drape her jackets over her shoulders—as she did with her white coat, using it to top the floral Donald Campbell dress that she wore to the airport in Hampshire at the start of her 1981 honeymoon with Charles.
Along the same lines, Diana threw a black blazer over the shoulders of her matching dress for a trip to the Alfred Dunhill shop in London in 1994. She finished the look with pearls, a dainty bracelet and black purse with gold chain.
Corset Belts
Big bold belts were popular in the ’80s, and Diana appeared to be a fan of the trend. She wore a turquoise one that divided her patterned blouse from her white pencil skirt during her visit to Bangkok, Thailand, in 1988.
The princess also paired a silver belt with the blue, ruffle-sleeved Bruce Oldfield dress she wore to a state dinner in New Brunswick during her 1983 Royal Tour of Canada. The belt matched her silver clutch, and there was plenty of sparkle thanks to her Spencer tiara and drop earrings.
Backward Necklaces
Who said there’s only one way to wear a necklace? Diana displayed her pearls by stringing them backward over her backless, burgundy velvet Catherine Walker dress for the London premiere of Back to the Future in 1985.
Tuxedo Dresses
The royal also had an array of stunning suits in her wardrobe. Take this pinstriped look she wore to a 1996 Christmas event for the nonprofit Centrepoint in London.
Diana also wore a white Catherine Walker coat dress and matching Graham Smith hat during her visit to the Isle of Wight in 1985.
Overalls
Even when going with a more casual ensemble, PrinceWilliam and Prince Harry‘s mother kept it stylish. Like when she rocked denim overalls over a classic white T-shirt at a 1987 polo match with her eldest in Windsor.
And in 1981, she rocked a yellow pair of overalls with a bright floral top during a walk with Sarah Ferguson at Cowdray Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire.
Comfy and Chic
Yes, princesses love a good sweatshirt too—as Diana proved while leaving her London health club in her Fly Virgin Atlantic crewneck, orange bike shorts and black and white sneakers in 1995. Her controversial BBC Panorama interview would air that evening.
Diana even used her fashion to support the causes close to her heart. Take, for instance, how she wore a sweatshirt featuring the logo of the British Lung Foundation, of which she was patron, to the Guards Polo Club in Windsor in 1988, pairing it with a black blazer and blue jeans and accessorizing with a baseball cap, hoop earrings and brown boots.
Diana also displayed her effortlessly cool style while leaving her London gym in a Harvard sweatshirt, black Nike bike shorts and sneakers in August 1997. The princess, who was often hounded by paparazzi, tragically died later that month after a car crash in Paris.
