The Met Gala shines as the most popular event in New York’s social calendar, often lauded as the epitome of fashion extravagance. As this year’s Met Gala unfolds, enthusiasts eagerly await the first look of their favorite celebrities dressed in the finest attire, many of which get remembered as timeless pieces. The event gained its royal ‘endorsement’ for the first time three decades ago when Princess Diana’s post-divorce appearance stirred unexpected excitement. The impact of Diana’s choice when she mesmerized in a £10,000 midnight blue Dior gown, as reported by The Mirror UK , was huge! In particular, her decision to go braless was a deliberate personal statement. In 2018, the designer revealed that Diana had opted for the braless look, viewing it as a symbol of her newfound freedom after her split with then-Prince Charles.
In December 1996, Diana made her solo appearance at the Met Gala after she received a personal invitation from Bernard Arnault, the then-head of Dior, and spent the evening in the company of her close friend Liz Tilberis, the British editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, and the chairwoman of the event that night. Diana’s choice of outfit made history as her navy blue slip dress was made of a garment typically reserved for lingerie at the time. The dress featured a built-in bustier and had an elegant black lace trim.
Ahead of September 18th, a look at one of the most iconic guests and dresses of the Met Gala. Princess Diana in 1996, John Galliano for Dior. A silk slip dress adorned with deep blue, royal jewels. A moment so perfectly classic, you’d find the girls wearing a silk copy today. pic.twitter.com/UxcNAeUzoE
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The outfit also aligned perfectly with the Christian Dior theme, marking Diana the first to showcase a gown by the label’s then-newest designer, John Galliano. Complementing her dress, she wore her iconic diamond and sapphire choker necklace and matching earrings and opted for red lipstick. She completed the look with a velvet opera coat. However, the dress sparked mixed reactions, as noted by the Daily Mail .
And let’s not forget, William’s mum Princess Diana attended the Met Gala in 1996 in a boudoir style slip dress from John Galliano’s debut couture collection as the Creative Director of Dior. That iconic pearl-and-sapphire choker necklace (sigh). pic.twitter.com/Qkex91xXPs
— jen (@JenCarsonTaylor) May 2, 2022
Fashion editor Hilary Alexander hailed it as the most important dress of the event. She wrote, “The whole idea of wearing a petticoat in public is new. We have seen actresses and starlets wearing underwear as outerwear, but for a princess to do it at a formal occasion is a different matter.”
She attended with her friend Liz Tilberis, the brilliant editor of Harpers Bazaar. Needless to say, Princess Di stole the show! pic.twitter.com/3FfXs0i98m
— jen (@JenCarsonTaylor) May 3, 2022
Fashion critic Brenda Polan revealed that she was not a fan of Diana’s attire. She wrote, “It was not so much haute couture as Oh! Couture. The problem, and there is no delicate way of saying this, is that it looked like she had accidentally stepped out in her nightie, which meant, of course, that she wasn’t wearing a bra.” However, Diana was only concerned about her son’s response to her attire. She feared that Prince William might feel embarrassed by the revealing nature of the gown. The stunning dress later found its place at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, showcased as part of their Christian Dior exhibition in 2019.
