A look back: why this Princess Diana outfit was almost as controversial as the ‘revenge dress’

One of the Princess’s most understated outfits was also one of her most scandalous. 

Image credit: Getty Images

One of the Princess’s most understated outfits was also one of her most scandalous. 

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When reminiscing on the canon of memorable Princess Diana looks, there are more than a few that come to mind. The meringue-sleeve wedding dress from her 1981 nuptials, any number of her Catherine Walker ball gowns, or the pieces from her divorced years, dresses by Gianni Versace and other avant-garde designers to symbolise her independence from the royal establishment (formally known as The Firm).

However, one often-overlooked Princess Di look was the slip dress she wore at the 1996 Met Gala. Long before the gala was a globally spectated event that teemed with celebrities each year, it was reserved for high-society New Yorkers, so an appearance from one of the world’s most beloved women was always going to make a splash. In an unexpected turn, Diana wore a lace-trimmed navy silk Christian Dior dress, the first celebrity design by then-creative director John Galliano.

A show of support for young British talent, the slip was daring in its simplicity, with the lace detailing and sleeveless composition eschewing the conservative, patriarchal standards placed on royal women. It also built on Diana’s existing relationship with the French maison; after she carried one of Dior’s top-handle bags in 1995, the house renamed the stitched bag the ‘Lady Dior’, which it’s still called today. 

Princess Diana wears Christian Dior at the Met Gala in December 1996. Image credit: Getty Images

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Though the gown appears modest in 2022, it made a similar kind of statement to her "Revenge Dress," the black off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian dress that Diana wore in 1994—an outfit that more strikingly symbolised Diana’s newfound freedom, after she’d openly expressed the tumultuous nature of her marriage. Diana was acutely aware of the messaging that could be conveyed through her fashion (she reportedly declined to wear Chanel’s interlinked ‘CC’ logo for years after her divorce because it represented Camilla and Charles’ initials), so there’s no doubt she knew the ensemble would speak a thousand words.

However, one of the gown’s most interesting caveats was that, per Galliano, Diana actually tried to make the look even more risqué. Galliano’s designs have always been known for pushing boundaries, but when designing for the princess, he kept modesty in mind—that is, until she made her own alterations without telling him, ripping out the internal corset from underneath the dress that was meant to protect her décolletage.

“We were like, ‘Oh my god, she’s torn out the corset!’” Galliano told WSJ Magazine of seeing Diana on the night. “It was a reflection of how she was already feeling at the time: liberated.”

This would be one of Diana’s final red carpet hurrahs, before her death in a car accident in Paris less than a year later. Preceding her tragic death, the outfit embodied the liberation the Princess felt in her later years, a testament to the freedom of expression that fashion allows. Of every Princess Diana outfit that caused a stir, this one was deserving of the buzz. 

Though there’s only one blue slip dress worn by Princess Diana, see below for Vogue’s edit of similar versions to shop, in order to emulate the Princess’s timeless style in the modern day. 

SHOP NOW: Voz long slip dress, $1,216 from Farfetch

SHOP NOW: Vince satin slip dress, $465 from My Theresa

SHOP NOW: Third Form cross-back cowl bias slip dress, $220 from The Iconic

SHOP NOW: Burberry monogram-print silk slip dress, $1,690 from Farfetch

SHOP NOW: Gold Hawk lace slip dress, $393 from Farfetch

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Originally published as A look back: why this Princess Diana outfit was almost as controversial as the ‘revenge dress’