2011 may have been about Kate Middleton, but Princess Diana also entered back into the hearts and minds of royal fans this year. Between her son's marriage to a new princess (wearing Lady Di's sapphire and diamond engagement ring) and the media re-imagining what she would've been like at 50, this year brought many reasons to look back at Princess Diana's legacy.
To further honor the fallen royal, Kesington Palace will unveil a new display of vintage Diana dresses this March as part of a million-dollar revamping of the palace.
Five dresses will get the royal treatment, so to speak, the highlight being the strapless taffeta gown that Diana wore just 13 days after her engagement to Prince Charles, at the pair's first public engagement at the Royal Opera House.
Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the princess's eventual wedding dress designers, the gown was a daring choice for both its low cut and unconventional color. As the London Evening Standard notes, "Her fiance told her black was only for those in mourning."
Moreover, Diana is quoted as having said, "I was quite big-chested then and [the press] all got frightfully excited." The attention made her a fashion icon, getting her photographed by Mario Testino for Vanity Fair in 1997.
One of the dresses she wore for that shoot, an ivory silk crepe frock by Catherine Walker, will also be displayed. A black Versace dress from 1995, a white and black Bellville Sassoon Lorcan Mullany dress from 1989 and a vivid red and purple Catherine Walker gown from 1988 round out the exhibition.
Kensington Palace will unveil the five dresses on March 26. In the meantime, take a peek below at the frocks as worn by Lady Di.
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