CLOTHES THAT MARKED A WOMAN OF STYLE
HER LANDMINES TRIP GEAR
DIANA visited war-torn Angola in 1997, just seven months before her death, as a guest of the International Red Cross. She wanted to see for herself the effects of landmines and meet some of their victims.
She famously walked through a live minefield (pictured inset) to highlight the work of the Halo Trust, a charity working to remove them. But her actions also triggered a diplomatic storm after she was accused of wading into an issue that was ‘too political’.
However, her visit focused international attention on to a relatively unknown humanitarian crisis.
The outfit on display comprises her Armani trousers and blue sleeveless denim shirt – in which she was pictured talking to children injured by blasts – and the Halo flak jacket she donned for her memorable walk across the minefield.
POST-DIVORCE DIANA
THE stunning Atelier Versace purple silk evening dress is a perfect example of the strong, confident woman Diana became after her divorce from Prince Charles. Throughout the mid 1990s, she developed a friendship with Versace and inspired him to create a chic new look for her, which in turn influenced both the catwalk and High Street.
She wore the dress to a fundraising dinner at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in June 1996.
THE ‘SHY DI’ GOING AWAY OUTFIT
THIS salmon-pink silk ‘going away’ dress with a fichu collar – similar to a long scarf or neckerchief, and crossed in front – and bolero jacket was memorably worn by a 20-year-old Diana as she boarded the train at Waterloo for her honeymoon in July 1981. It was subsequently worn by the princess for an overseas tour of Australia in 1982 and a visit to Grimbsy in 198 . It was designed by David Sassoon, one of her favourite designers of the early 1980s, and epitomises the virginal ‘Shy Di’ look of the young Diana. Sassoon was also commissioned to create the princess’s trousseau – a range of outfits and gowns ordered by the young Lady Diana Spencer for her new life as a working royal.