Princess Diana’s personal designer on Hong Kong ‘Elvis’ dress, her other wardrobe highlights and her fashion legacy
Pearl-encrusted, high-collar white gown Diana wore on 1989 visit one of many memorable looks created for her by Catherine Walker and Said Cyrus, who tells us about her evolution from fairy tale vision of femininity to global style icon
One of the most memorable images of Princess Diana is of her wearing what became known as the “Elvis” dress during an official visit with the Prince of Wales to Hong Kong in 1989.
The white gown had a high-collar bolero, shimmered with 20,000 pearls and illustrated how, after eight years of marriage, the awkward society beauty had become established as a global fashion icon. The princess had created a powerful, ethereal image that now, as we mark 20 years since her death, still resonates.
The princess was something of a renegade when she married into the royal family. She dared to buck the established royal view that fashion was mildly suspect and should be avoided wherever possible.
Queen Victoria’s remark, “fashionable dressing – anything but that” had echoed sternly through the generations. The family policy had always been to appear suitable, but never glamorous.