Becca Monaghan
Nov 16, 2023
The Crown, Netflix
Princess Diana's style remains to be iconic for many. And now, thanks to the hit Netflix series The Crown, viewers are able to reminisce on the Princess of Wales' wardrobe and replicate it themselves.
The streaming service dropped the first four episodes of the final season on Thursday (16 November), with some critics being quick to share their candid thoughts on the show.
One two-star review by The Telegraph opposed to a scene that shows "the sound of the crash to the phone ringing at Balmoral," and no footage in the Pont d'Alma tunnel.
"Why do this?" Anita Singh wrote. "If it's for reasons of taste, why have the camera capture the bewildered face of Harry as he mouths the word "no"? Good taste would mean leaving this scene to our imagination."
Elsewhere, writers spoke about the scene involving Diana's ghost. The Times rated the series four stars, but Carol Midgley said that specific scene "wasn't the show's finest hour".
Despite this, many fans were ecstatic to see the return of The Crown – and more notably, were left in awe of Diana's unforgettable style. Here are some of our favourites, with some still available to buy:
The sheep sweater
Diana's original 'black sheep' sweatshirt by the brand Warm & Wonderful was sold for a staggering $1.14 million (approximately £916,700) earlier this year at Sotheby's auction house. Diana was first seen sporting the playful knitwear in June 1981 at a polo match.
According to Sotheby's, it marks the highest price paid at auction for an item that belonged to Diana.
Fans of the garment will be ecstatic to learn it can still be purchased from the brand for £270.
Warm and Wonderful
Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt
Who could forget Di's Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt she sported to the gym on many occasions?
Not only has the laidback luxe attire been regarded as one of her best looks, but there was also a genius reason behind her re-wearing it.
Di's personal trainer Jenni Rivett told Yahoo's The Royal Box in 2018 that she "remembers one of her strategies was that she was going to wear the same Virgin sweatshirt every single session."
It was reportedly to decrease the value of the paparazzi shots.
Dupes of the vintage jumper have since cropped up online, with the likes of Amazon and Etsy both selling for under £30.
The Ralph Lauren shirt
Getty Images
During a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997, Diana showcased another classic laidback look consisting of a pink Ralph Lauren shirt and black straight-leg jeans.
The RL shirt lives on to be one of many fashionistas' wardrobe essentials and is still available to purchase for £139.
Harvard sweatshirt
Di's varsity sweatshirt and cycle shorts soon came to become her athleisure uniform.
The look was much later recreated in season five of The Crown, with the Ivy League university specifically designing a piece for the show.
"Harvard made it for us," Sidonie Roberts, associate costume designer and head buyer of the hit Netflix series, revealed. "You could still get Harvard jumpers, but [not] that cowl neck that she wears, like that puffy neck."
There are still similar options available on ASOS Marketplace and La Redoute.
The 'Revenge Dress'
In June 1994, Diana attended a Vanity Fair party after being told that Charles had confirmed his affair with Camilla. Princess Di's 'Revenge Dress' has been hailed as one of the most memorable Little Black Dress moments of our time.
Diana and her Christina Stambolian off-shoulder dress certainly turned the attention, with The Sun writing at the time: "Revenge is chic. Di last night showed Charles what he's missing."
Speaking about the fifth season of The Crown, actress Elizabeth Debicki described wearing the dress.
"It provoked something in me as an actor," she said. "I can’t really explain it. It’s pretty incredible that a dress would represent a moment in history, or that this human’s life would represent so much and become so iconic. So that was a big day on set for me!"
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