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Netflix’s The Crown has spared no expense to recreate the royal family’s best known fashions over course of its four-year run. From the ornate details of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dress in the series' first season to replicating Princess Diana’s indelible 1981 wedding dress—complete with a record-breaking 25-foot taffeta train—in season four.
Now, The Crown returns with new fashions of the ‘90s. For its highly anticipated fifth season, the series explores the breakdown of Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and Prince Charles’ doomed marriage, the heartache and the strife of their love triangle with Camilla Parker-Bowles, all amid the backdrop of a crumbling monarchy in '90s Britain. Viewers will say goodbye to a softer, bashful ’80s Diana (Emma Corrin), trying to manage the royal world around her, and hello to a stronger, '90s mother of two, fighting for the life she wants to live while sporting fierce fashions of the decade. After officially announcing her separation from Charles in 1992, Diana adopted a carefree “woman of the world” sense of style. The eventual divorce paved the way for a wardrobe revamp that allowed the fashion icon to ditch the royal rule book and adhere to her own personal style.
Dominic West and Imelda Staunton take over the roles of Charles and the Queen from Josh O’Connor and Olivia Coleman in a powerful, scandal-rich season. But it’s Debicki’s portrayal of Diana and the showcasing of her bold ‘90s fashion that shine through the monarchy drama and bring a nostalgic depth to the late royal’s legacy.
Diana captivated the world with her beauty, humanity, and compassion for others. Through her life as a mother, humanitarian, and royal family member, the late princess' timeless fashion has transcended decades and still is emulated today.
During the last decade of Diana’s life, the icon embraced the minimalism of the ‘90s with her newfound freedom. From belted high-waisted jeans and blazers to sleek suit sets, namesake Dior handbags, Versace couture, and a street style favorite: the sporty-chic oversized sweatshirt and biker shorts duo; time and time again, Diana’s effortless royal style has proved to be timeless. So it’s no wonder 25 years after her death, we’re still trying to dress like the late royal.
For the latest season The Crown, Diana's famed wardrobe is recreated by costume designer Amy Roberts, featuring a melange of Diana's '90s style staples and some of her most iconic looks. So in honor of the Netflix drama and Diana’s fashion legacy, we've rounded up a selection of items inspired by Debicki's on-screen Diana looks that pay tribute to the icon's famous fashions. Read ahead to shop the series of looks.
Sophisticated Suit Sets…and Blazers
While ‘80s fashion was all about drama, the ’90s stripped down the sequins and lamé of the decade before and featured more minimalistic and streamlined styles. During the time, Diana turned to sleek suits with matching skirts and shift dresses, fitted turtlenecks, smartly tailored jackets, and blazers, as well as her famous namesake Lady Dior bag—a luxe accessory she often paired with her many suit styles.
Throughout the ‘90s, Diana was photographed in everything from playful pastels to bold plaid suits, stylish details Roberts worked into this season of The Crown. Debicki’s Diana sports everything from a soft lilac suit she wears during a meeting with the Queen about her official separation from Charles to a red holiday plaid for Christmas at Sandringham, and even a replica of the black businesswoman ensemble she wears for her infamous Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. Roberts also made sure to give air time to one of the late royal's favorite handbags—the Dior staple making an appearance in both black and white with different suit ensembles, from the races to charity events throughout the season.
‘90s Soccer Mom Chic
In addition to her sleeker '90s styles, upon adapting to her new sense of freedom following her split from Charles, the late princess also embraced casual dress, adding a layer of sophistication to what became known as her “soccer mom” style. Whether on the fields of a polo match, snapped shopping in Knightsbridge, or walking a young Prince William to school, Diana famously mastered the off-duty look.
Throughout season five of The Crown, particularly episode two—which features a number of those well-known “soccer mom” looks in a montage of Diana's audio tape recording sessions for Andrew Morton’s future book—viewers will see Debicki costumed in Diana's iconic casually chic fashions comprised of items such as big blazers, oversized rugby-style sweaters, Oxford blouses tucked into high-waisted jeans either belted or simply accessorized with a baseball cap—a go-to staple of the late royal while dashing about town.
Sporty Street Style
Before there was modern-day athleisure, there was Diana. In the ‘90s, the former Princess of Wales took casual dress a step further with her prescient street-chic workout attire. Arguably the original street style maven, Diana became known for pounding the pavement in her go-to workout wear: an oversized sweatshirt styled over biker shorts with chunky socks and sneakers. The late princess often accessorized the sporty look with her favorite small gold hoop earrings, tortoiseshell sunglasses—a frequent pair by Christian Dior—and her bamboo handle Gucci tote.
In this season of The Crown, Debicki sports a few of Diana's favorite workout wear staples, including her oversized Harvard crewneck, a nod to the late royal's love of her collegiate sweatshirts. Flash forward 25 years later, Diana is still trendsetting with her ‘90s workout wear. Her beloved looks have shaped today’s street style and are more in vogue than ever.
The “Revenge Dress”
In June of 1994, Diana attended a Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery in London after being alerted that Charles had given an interview confirming his extramarital affair with Camilla. Having heard the news about Charles’s interview, Diana decided to make her own statement—donning the fitted black off-the-shoulder dress by Christina Stambolian. Letting her outfit do the talking, Diana effectively upstaged her husband’s bombshell interview with a bombshell look that has gone down in history as one of the most infamous Little Black Dress numbers. “Revenge is chic,” wrote The Sun at the time. “Di last night showed Charles what he’s missing.”
To recreate the iconic dress for episode five of The Crown, Roberts’s team got permission from Stambolian—and when it came to filming the scene, the designer recalls that “Elizabeth got out of the car and there was a palpable ‘wowza’ moment on set, like when Emma Corrin was revealed in her wedding dress. Film sets are noisy and there’s lots of tinkering going on but nobody had to say, ‘Right, quiet, action.’ Everybody just went quiet on both occasions. It shows you how important those two dresses are.” The dress was recreated almost exactly to Diana’s original history-making look but the designer says it looks slightly different because of Diana and Debicki’s different body types.
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