Not all fashion designers did not want Princess Diana in their clothes

Princess Diana is now in memories like a generational style icon whose style still resonates almost 30 years after her premature death. But when the end of the princess of Wales was still Lady Diana Spencer – before marrying Prince Charles on July 29, 1981 – she was watched skeptically by certain fashion houses.

As Edward White wrote in his new book Dianoworld: an obsession (which was released on April 29), a representative of a well-known fashion brand said that the young Diana had “ruined” her “credibility” by shopping there (via Marie Claire). Long before Diana was a fashion icon, she was nicknamed “a dreary fashion victim”, according to the pages of Dianoworld.

“Despite her reputation for the 21st century of style icon, during Diana’s life, it was far from universally recognized that she had a flair to dress,” wrote White in the book. It is difficult to believe today, but there were times when Diana appeared “on the most dressed lists compiled by the fashion critic Richard Blackwell”, continued White.

Before her marriage, Diana was known to be a representative of the “Ultimate Look of the Ranger Sloane”, which White called “an appearance aesthetic back” carried by the Londoners of the upper class or the upper class of a certain set, according to Marie Claire.

At the time, the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood was in a co -ownership of a London store called World’s End with Malcolm McLaren, who was a former manager of the group The Sex Pistols. In 1981 – the same year to which Diana became engaged and married Charles, and the same year she was 20 years old – the Westwood “Pirate” collection was put up for sale, and a Diana Spencer, then aged 19, came.

“A terrible thing has happened,” said McLaren (according to White’s book). “We opened the store and Diana Spencer arrived; She was the first customer. ” McLaren said he thought “Oh my God, we are ruined!” And recalled thinking: “I lost all credibility.”

For someone who once managed sex pistols – the quintessence of punk from the 1970s – the quintessence of the Sloane Rangers carrying the collection made that Diana helped clothes to make “bad hands” – the opposite of the demography they were trying to attract.

White’s book has detailed that “each potential, Esquinre Diana Spencer on the Fulham road” has now bought the new Westwood collection because the future queen did. “Neither McLaren nor Westwood thought that Diana was the least elegant,” wrote White. “Just a dreary fashion victim.”

Westwood said later Woman and house That the former princess of Wales was “someone reigned by trends” and White wrote that Westwood really hated “these horrible little pumps”, Diana wore “which are neither one thing nor the other”.

“It is as if her clothes were supposed to tell you that she is both feminist and sexy at the same time,” continued Westwood – but in white summons, “that was precisely what (Diana) dressed to say.”

Beyond the simple Diana – which Westwood met face to face in 1991 – The designer had a complex relationship with the largest royal family over the years – after all, they were all intended for tradition and Westwood pushed borders. Before her death in 2022 – the same year as Queen Elizabeth – Westwood received the prestigious Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen in 1992 to honor British fashion contributions, and Westwood introduced himself to accept the Buckingham Palace Prize. In 2006, 14 years later, Westwood was recognized by becoming a lady, and in 2011, Princess Eugenie wore Vivienne Westwood at the royal marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29.