Great Outfits in Fashion History: Princess Diana at the Met

Last Updated: 24 April 2022

Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a John Galliano dress, arrives with her friend Liz Tilberis for a Costume Institute Ball at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 09, 1996

Photo: Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In 'Great Outfits in Fashion History,' Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

In just a blink of an eye, the fashion industry is abuzz once again in the lead-up to the Met Gala. It's a bit unusual this time, though, since the last one was *checks calendar* only eight months ago — but, hey, what's usual about anything nowadays. So, on Monday, we'll be getting round two of celebrities interpreting the "In America" theme (this time, with a "Gilded Glamour" dress code). What better opportunity to revisit one of the most talked-about and often-reminisced-about moments in Met history: that time Diana, Princess of Wales, attended the event.

The year was 1996, and the Costume Institute was celebrating the work of Christian Dior. It would be the only Met Gala Lady Di would go to, but she certainly made an impression. She arrived with her friend, the then-Harper’s Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis, and dressed on theme in a navy silk slip-style gown with black lace along the neckline and straps, from John Galliano's debut Haute Couture collection for the house, topped with a robe coat. The accessories were equally spectacular: her iconic pearl and sapphire choker (yes, that one) and the quilted box top-handle Dior bag that she debuted the year prior and would ultimately be named after her. It's gone on to become one of the most beloved looks in Met Gala history.

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