How Princess Diana Changed the World with This Jacket
One of Princess Diana‘s most iconic outfits isn’t a one-of-a-kind dress or a colorful suit: It was a simple shirt, jacket and pair of chino pants.
And it’s what Diana wore during her famed visit to the land mine fields of Angola in 1997, just months before her tragic death. The casual ensemble included a pair of Armani chinos, a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of brown loafers and a flak jacket from the Halo Trust, the charity Diana was working with in Angola.
Diana wore it while walking across an active minefield, a powerful moment that has remained synonymous with her work as a humanitarian. And now, for the first time, that outfit — including the flak jacket — is going on display at Diana’s former London home at Kensington Palace.
The outfit is a new addition to the ongoing exhibition at Kensington Palace, called Diana: Her Fashion Story. The exhibition features several of Diana’s ensembles, many of which are on loan from Prince William and Prince Harry. The landmine outfit is part of an addition of seven outfits that will be rotated into the exhibition on April 26. The other additions include a purple Atelier Versace dress she wore to an event in Chicago in 1996, a black-and-red Catherine Walker dress worn in 1995 and a blue silk day dress worn in 1983 during an official visit to New Zealand.
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“Diana, Princess of Wales was one of the most photographed women in the world, and it’s no coincidence that so many of her outfits are now among the most easily recognizable in fashion history,” Eleri Lynn, exhibition curator at Historic Royal Palaces, said. “Through Diana: Her Fashion Story we explore the evolution of a young woman who had to first learn the rules of royal and diplomatic dressing, then master the art of creating her own signature style. Following the exhibition’s incredible success in 2017, we’re delighted that this year visitors to Kensington Palace will have the chance to see yet more of the Princess’s show-stopping wardrobe for themselves.”
Diana: Her Fashion Story first opened in February 2017, and will continue throughout 2018.
