Princess Diana and the art of diplomatic dressing

On 9 March 1981, a 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer, then fiancé of the future king, stepped out in a black strapless taffeta gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for her first official engagement with Prince Charles – a Gala charity concert at Goldsmith’s Hall, marking the beginning of her royal life and setting the stage for the style icon she was to become. The ruffled dress trimmed with sequins on its sweetheart neckline introduced Diana to the perils and pitfalls of royal dress. Prince Charles criticised her for wearing black (a colour the royals traditionally reserved for mourning) and the low neckline caused a sensation amongst the press, with tabloids dubbing her ‘daring Di’. In a later interview, she described how she chose the dress because she thought, at the time, that black was the smartest, most sophisticated colour a lady could wear. Her royal debut outfit was sold in 2010 by Kerry Taylor Auctions for £160,000, reflecting its importance in the history of her style.