16 Joyful Times Diana, Princess Of Wales Made A Splash In Polka Dots

Diana, Princess of Wales’s stylist Anna Harvey once gifted the royal a pair of printed Pucci leggings and a set of Gap T-shirts for her birthday. “She was delighted that I thought she might wear something this zany,” Harvey, a former British Vogue deputy editor, recalled. Such joy was typical of the so-called “People’s Princess”, who was “very open to ideas” regarding her transformation from “unsophisticated” upper-class English girl to elegant stateswoman. She took on board the ’80s power silhouettes, the exquisite headline-making evening wear, and the sleek ’90s tailoring. But she never gave up the splashy colours and vivacious prints she adored.

28 Times Diana, Princess Of Wales Was A Poster Girl For Summer

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Case in point: Lady Di’s polka dots. The philanthropist loved the cartoonish print that manages to conjure up Minnie Mouse fashion while being wholly, unabashedly feminine. From mini to macro, the royal was dotty for spotted looks in fuchsia, turquoise, red, lilac and navy. No silhouette was off the cards, nor any accessory (she once matched her ankle socks to her pleated white and red polka dot skirt). Such was the princess’s enthusiasm for the cheering print, that every time her daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, has worn old-school dotted looks, she has been compared to the original polka dot fan: Diana, Princess of Wales.

Here, 16 times Lady Di joined the dots in style.