Diana, Princess of Wales attended the Met Gala only once, in 1996, the year her divorce to Prince Charles dominated headlines around the world. For the ball, which celebrated the legacy of Christian Dior, the royal tasked John Galliano with reimagining a midnight-blue slip dress from his first collection for the French house. With its provocative (at least by royal standards) lace trim, it marked a shift in the newly liberated Diana’s approach to fashion after being shorn of her HRH title – while her seven-strand pearl choker with its 70-carat sapphire reminded everyone that she still had the jewellery box of a future queen.
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It’s fitting, then, that Elizabeth Debicki – who will play the People’s Princess in the next instalment of The Crown on Netflix – likewise chose Dior for the 2022 gala, her first Met since landing the role. The willowy Australian star also wore a bespoke gown – albeit a more demure design than Diana’s. More than 1,200 hours of work went into its lace-effect silk soutache embroidery, with Debicki accessorising the Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 look with an archival Jennifer Behr headpiece in her blonde locks and Dior à Versailles fine jewellery.
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Then there’s Emma Corrin, who scooped a Golden Globe for her own turn as the young Diana back in 2021, and whose red-carpet style is brilliantly whimsical. (See the Loewe gown she chose for the Olivier Awards in London recently, featuring two strategically placed deflated balloons.) For her second Met appearance, the 26-year-old collaborated with Miu Miu to put together a look that paid tribute to Manhattan socialite Evander Berry Wall, dubbed the “King of Dudes” in the 1880s. “It felt fun to play with gender and do something unexpected,” Corrin’s stylist Harry Lambert told Vogue ahead of the event. “[The Met Gala] is your one time to get away with being wild and having fun. I think it’s a missed opportunity when people play it safe.” Something tells us Diana would agree.
