Diana in THAT dress: #revengedress trends after The Crown season 5 airs, but the princess isn’t the only woman to hit back through fashion

An episode in The Crown season five had the moment we were all waiting for – Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ reveal after Prince Charles admitted to infidelity
The late princess is not the only one to have struck back using fashion – actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Jennifer Aniston did too after their marriage break-ups

Fashion

Kylie Knott

Published: 4:15am, 13 Nov 2022

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When viewers tuned into the eagerly awaited season five of The Crown, they were reminded of one of Princess Diana’s most memorable fashion moments.

On June 29, 1994, the late Princess of Wales donned a daring silk black, off-the-shoulder cocktail dress for a Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery. She upped the glam stakes with silk Manolo Blahnik heels and a multi-strand pearl necklace, anchored with sapphire and diamonds.

Made by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, the dress soon became known as the “revenge dress”. And for good reason.

Earlier, a tell-all documentary by her estranged husband, Charles – now the British king – had aired, along with a lot of dirty laundry, including his confession of an adulterous affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles – now Queen Consort of the United Kingdom.

On June 29, 1994, Diana wore a cocktail dress by Christina Stambolian to a Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery. Photo: Getty Images

In the hit Netflix series, Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, playing Diana, wears a replica of the dress in the fifth episode – it is best seen in the iconic scenes of her emerging from a chauffeur-driven car.

Social media lapped it up, with #revengedress trending.

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At the time, Diana’s dress also inspired other nicknames such as the “I’ll show you dress”, the “Serpentine cocktail” and the “vengeance dress”.

Among fashion editors it was referred to as the “f*** you dress”, says Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, in her 2007 book, The Diana Chronicles.

While there is no doubt the late princess takes the crown for the “revenge dress” look, other high-profile celebrities have embraced it.

Elizabeth Hurley during Valentino’s 40th Anniversary to Benefit Children’s Action Network event in Los Angeles. She attended the party in the wake of her marriage break-up with Hugh Grant. Photo: WireImage

Jennifer Aniston at the premiere of Derailed on October 30, 2005 in New York. Her choice of a tight-fitting Chanel dress was meant to silence chatter about the breakdown of her marriage to actor Brad Pitt. Photo: Getty Images

At an anniversary party for Valentino Garavani in 2000, actress Elizabeth Hurley wore a revealing gown in the wake of the break-up of her marriage to cheater husband and actor Hugh Grant, while in 2005, US actress Jennifer Aniston wore a tight-fitting beaded Chanel dress as a way to silence chatter about the breakdown of her marriage to Brad Pitt.

More recently, model Irina Shayk donned a sexy dress by Donatella Versace on the Milan catwalk following her split with actor Bradley Cooper. Maybe it worked – the pair are reportedly back together.