Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ remains iconic till date; find out why

The reason we are back to talking about the dress several years later, in 2021, is because Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki, who will bring Diana to life in the fifth season of Netflix’s The Crown, has been photographed in the recreated costumes, looking uncannily similar to the late princess, who died in a car crash in 1997.

 

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Particularly, it is her picture in the rehashed ‘revenge dress’ that has made headlines. An Independent report states that the original off-the-shoulder chiffon dress was created by Greek designer Christina Stambolian. It featured a sweetheart neckline, a flowing black trail. For accessories, Diana had chosen a pair of silk Manolo Blahnik high heels, sheer black tights, and her statement choker necklace.

Diana’s appearance in this figure-hugging, low cut, off-the-shoulder little black outfit was dubbed as her ‘revenge dress’. (Source: AP)

The reason the look was termed as ‘revenge’ fashion, was that, as mentioned earlier, the Princess of Wales had worn it on the exact same day that Prince Charles had publicly confessed to his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles in the documentary ‘Charles: The Private Man, The Public Role‘.

According to the Independent report, Diana had originally planned to wear another new designer dress to the event, but had later changed her mind. She instead opted for the black dress — which was purportedly with her since 1991; she had bought it on a shopping trip with her brother.

 

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Stambolian said Diana had wanted to wear the dress for a while, but had thought of it as “too risqué”. “[The princess] chose not to play the scene like Odette, innocent in white. She was clearly angry. She played it like Odile, in black. She wore bright red nail enamel, which we had never seen her do before. She was saying, ‘Let’s be wicked tonight!’” she was quoted as saying.

As was expected, the day after Diana’s ‘revenge’ outing, her fashion choice became front-page news in the UK. It even usurped coverage for Charles’ documentary. In a way, it was Diana’s return to the spotlight.

Interestingly, her revenge looks became so popular over the years that there even exists an Instagram account called @ladydirevengelooks that was set up in 2018 by fashion writer Eloise Morgan after her own breakup, the Independent report states.

 

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