Princess Diana's off-the- shoulder black cocktail gown is one of the most famous outfits in popular culture. In the fifth season of The Crown, Elizabeth Debicki reprises her role as the avenger in a scene that was originally filmed in the first season.
In the fifth episode, Dominic West takes over from Josh O'Connor as Princes Charles seeks public support in a time of turmoil for the monarchy. Diana curling into a ball as she reads the paper is imagined in the sequence.
In order to get public support and the advice of his team, Charles gives his famous TV interview with Jonathan Dimbleby in which he admits his affair with Camilla for the first time. Until it became obvious that the marriage couldn't be saved, Charles confessed to cheating only. We did our best. There was nothing I could do at that point. Old friends were brought back together. Diana looked upset as she watched the interview.
Diana heads to her wardrobe with intent, people, as reporters speak of palace officials being "deluged with calls of support" and the Prince of Wales waves to cheering admirers having "no regrets".
At Vanity Fair's summer party at the Serpentine Gallery in London's Hyde Park, Debicki steps out wearing a recreation of Diana's own outfit, including a multi-strand pearl and diamond choker and a version of Greek designer Christina Stambo. Show people this scene if they say fashion isn't political.
A reporter says that the war of the Waleses has entered a new phase.
Princess Diana attends the Vanity Fair party in 1994. Credit: Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images
Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki in "The Crown." Credit: Netflix
Stambolian made the dress for Diana three years before, but she was worried it was too daring, so she kept it in her wardrobe. According to the magazine, Diana's choice of outfit was last-minute, as she had been set to wear a Valentino outfit but decided against it.
Anna Harvey said that Diana wanted to look a million dollars.
Stambo wrote about Diana's request for a special dress after she stopped by her boutique. The dress showed a lot of leg and flesh. Diana didn't know about it. She didn't think it was a good idea. I asked why not be daring. She wanted the neck and everything to be higher.
The press response to Diana was huge. According to Stambolian, the Telegraph called it "the brave, wicked, historic little 'Serpentine Cocktail'" and "perhaps the most strategic dress ever worn by a woman in modern times." The Sun ran a less classy headline.
Diana's outfit choice was declared intentional by The Crown, as Debicki's character refers to the outfit later when Charles pays an unexpected visit: "I would've put on a revenge dress." The term revenge dressing has become synonymous with famous women wearing great outfits after a break-up.
The dress has power. She said in an interview that she was fascinated by how entranced people were. There was a huge amount of text messages about the revenge dress when I found out I had the part. Is it possible to wear the revenge dress? You're going to wear the revenge dress!
The pearl choker is an example of Diana's creativity and ability to find individual expression. Diana received a wedding gift from her grandmother-in-law, the Queen Mother, and she had it made into a pearl and diamond necklace. It was the perfect accessory for the revenge dress because it matched her engagement ring.
In The Crown, Diana's red nails are seen in close up as she gets ready. According to reports, the Queen only allowed bare nails or neutral tones when it came to nailpolish. Diana reclaimed a sense of individualism with a red manicure.
Where The Crown plays the situation a little on the nose is having Debicki's Diana walk out of shot into the high-profile party, full glamour, empowering as hell, then cutting to an identical shot of Camilla leaving her own house. Despite what the tabloids did at the time, we don't need to put women against each other.
We were excited when we saw Diana's revenge dress in The Crown Season 5 trailer. Diana felt voiceless, as the TV show imagines it, watching her adulterous husband get approval from the public.
The Crown is available on the streaming service.
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