When attending the Met Gala in 1996, Princess Diana wore a £10,000 dior dress that caused a sensation. It was later put on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
The world-famous Met Gala, often described as “fashion’s biggest night out”, is taking place in New York City tonight.
The event, which is now held every year on the first Monday in May, welcomes stars and young creatives. This year, it will celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”.
When the Met Gala takes place, fans look at the best outfits and stunning looks of celebrities – and many of them are remembered for years. This was certainly the case almost three decades ago, when Princess Diana, who had recently divorced, caused a sensation by wearing a £10,000 midnight blue dress from Dior.
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READ MORE: Princess Diana almost didn’t wear iconic Dior dress – all because of William
Diana attended her first and only Met Gala in December 1996 months after divorcing the-then Prince Charles. She had been personally invited to the event by Bernard Arnault, the then-head of Dior and spent much of the night with her close pal Liz Tilberis, the British editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar and chairwoman of the ball that night.
Her bold outfit choice made history as the navy blue slip dress was usually worn as underwear at the time and was meant to have a built-in bustier. Her look was complete with an elegant black lace trim and perfectly matched the Christian Dior theme.
Diana became the first person to wear a gown by the label’s newest designer John Galliano. She paired her dress with her iconic diamond and sapphire choker necklace and matching earrings, red lipstick and a velvet opera coat.
She reportedly chose to go braless to convey a personal statement. In 2018 the designer himself revealed Diana had been the mastermind behind the bra-less look telling the Wall Street Journal that it was a “reflection of how she was already feeling: Liberated,” following her divorce.
But it turns out Diana almost did not wear the dress that night – and there is an interesting reason why. According to MailOnline, Diana was worried about her son’s reaction to seeing her in the gown.
She was concerned that Prince William, who was 14 at the time, would be embarrassed of how revealing the dress was on the then 35-year-old. The glamorous gown was put on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as part of their Christian Dior exhibition in 2019.
Tonight, Vogue has the exclusive live stream, which starts at 6pm Eastern and 11pm BST at Vogue.com. The feed will also be available on Vogue’s digital platforms, including TikTok and YouTube.
The guest list is top secret but Rihanna has spilled she will be there and will likely be accompanied by her partner A$AP Rocky. Other high-profile partners likely to attend, because their significant others are hosting: Ben Affleck and Tom Holland. Dua Lipa will also attend the Met Gala.
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