Full Description
"... fashion journalist Claudia Joseph opens the door to the world's most coveted closet." — Elle
"Diana: A Life in Dresses chronicles Princess Diana's sartorial evolution from her early shopping days at Harrods to working with world-renowned designers like Catherine Walker." — Harpers Bazaar
"This stylish survey traces Di's evolution from unsophisticated debutante to fashion icon, telling the stories behind her most famous, and infamous, dresses." — New York Post
'I literally had one long dress, one silk shirt, one smart pair of shoes and that was it' - so Princess Diana said of the day she and Prince Charles got engaged. Sixteen years later, Diana would die, no longer the girl with one dress, but a global fashion icon who had raised more than £2 million for charity by selling 79 of her dresses at Christie's auction house in New York.
This chic and stylish book opens Diana's wardrobe to the world. From the Regamus debutante's dress Diana wore at a ball at Althorp, her family estate, to her infamous Christina Stambolian 'Revenge' dress, which she wore on the night Prince Charles publicly admitted his adultery with Camilla Parker Bowles, each iconic moment is captured in these pages.
Claudia Joseph chronicles Diana's style evolution from the days she shopped with her mother for her wedding trousseau at Harrods, to her discovery of her wedding dress designers, the Emanuels, and her relationship with Vogue fashion director Anna Harvey, who introduced her to designers such as Catherine Walker, Jacques Azagury and Versace. She looks at the designers who shaped Diana's image and tracks down her most symbolic dresses to museums around the world.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
From Young Ingénue to Style Icon 6
The Christie's Auction 8
REGAMUS
The Debutante Dress 10
COJANA
The Pretty Woman Moment 12
THE EMANUELS 14
The Engagement Blouse 16
The Black Ballgown 18
The Wedding Gown 20
The Tartan Suit 28
The Fairytale Ballgown 30
The Bahrain Day Dress 32
The Bahrain Evening Gown 34
BELLVILLE SASSOON 38
The Going Away Outfit 42
The Caledonian Ballgown 46
The Black Watch Frock 48
The Cocktail Dress 52
GINA FRATINI 54
The Black Polka Dot Number 56
BILL PASHLEY
The Honeymoon Suit 58
JASPER CONRAN 60
The Red Suit 62
CAROLINE CHARLES 66
The Braemar Dress 68
The Burgundy Dress 70
BRUCE OLDFIELD 74
The White Lace Gown 78
The Black Velvet Ballgown 80
The Crushed Velvet Gown 82
CATHERINE WALKER 86
The New Zealand Ensemble 88
The Back to the Future Gown 92
The Mermaid Dress 94
The Grace Kelly Gown 96
The Stately Gown 98
The Bangkok Ballgown 100
The Peach Polka Dot Dress 102
The French Gown 106
The Tulip Gown 108
The Elvis Dress 112
The Burgundy Velvet Gown 114
The Scottish Gown 116
The Liza Minelli Gown 118
The India Dress 122
The Spencer House Gown 124
The Madame Grès Gown 126
The Petal Pink Ballet Dress 128
The Red Cross Gown 130
The Mughal Dress 132
THE FINAL SHOOT 134
The Grey Gown 135
The Tuxedo Dress 136
The Ivory Gown 137
The Gala Gown 138
VICTOR EDELSTEIN 140
The Travolta Gown 142
The Terence Donovan Gown 146
The Spanish Dancer Dress 150
ARABELLA POLLEN
The Ruffled Suit 154
HACHI
The One-Shouldered Gown 158
ZANDRA RHODES 162
The Cherry Blossom Gown 164
The White Silk Chiffon Gown 168
JACQUES AZAGURY 172
The Red Mini 174
The Black Fishtail Dress 178
The Ice Blue Shift 180
The Lady in Red 184
The Black Chantilly Lace Dress 186
KATHERINE CUSACK
The Blue Velvet Gown 190
YUKI
The Diplomatic Dress 192
MURRAY ARBEID
The Star Attraction 194
ESCADA
The Pink Suit 198
CHANEL 200
The Red Coat 202
The Mint Green Suit 204
TOMASZ STARZEWSKI 206
The Cocktail Dress 208
VERSACE 210
The Patrick Demarchelier Gown 212
CHRISTINA STAMBOLIAN
The Revenge Dress 214
EPILOGUE
Diana's Legacy 220
Acknowledgements 222
Featured museums 223
Image credits 224
