The Crown: five seconds for a dress that made history

The extramarital relationship between Prince Charles and Camila Parker Bowles, the divorce between the Princes of Wales or the first meetings between Lady Di and Dodi Al-Fayed are some of the highlights of this new season, which marked a before and after for the House of Windsor.

But if there’s a moment that has remained etched on the retinas of the entire world, it’s the interview the then Prince of Wales gave after his relationship with Camila Parker Bowles was made public in 1994. Princess Diana’s response in her The Next Public Act was a message to the world that had a profound impact on the history of fashion. On this occasion, the princess wanted to “look like a million dollars”, according to the words of Anna Harvey herself, Diana’s stylist at the time, and to do so she wore a Christina Stambolian design like no other, which was interpreted as a symbol of empowerment and security in the figure of the princess.

However, the series left this moment in its minimal expression, compared to the great media impact his appearance had, thanks to the design chosen and the message it conveyed. This has led to huge criticism of the English production from fans of the series and from Princess Diana who expected this moment to be one of the keys to the season given the notoriety it had outside and within the British royal family.

And it is that Lady Di’s fans do not approve of the rendering made of their outfits. It is true that several iconic looks from the 90s are popping up – such as the puffy looks, which are still very current and have been reliably transferred to the small screen -, or how the princess left behind the formality marked by the royal family and started wearing street style clothes, such as the classic Levi’s or the acclaimed cycling shorts, that fill the streets of every city today.

Within this sparse representation of Diana’s style, it is possible to see the tailored suit she wore in the controversial interview she gave to the BBC, within the Panorama programme, with a classic and sober cut that evoked the elegance of Lady Di; or the two-tone outfit he wore to bid Prince William farewell when he went to boarding school at Eton College, in shades of blue and black and gold buttons. It’s true they aren’t looks that capture the essence of Diana’s style, but they manage to exude the delicacy that the Princess of Wales needed to pick the perfect look for the perfect occasion.

Despite these interpretations, Diana’s fans do not approve of the interpretation that has made her iconic clothes and especially of the legacy they left in fashion.

“There is a certain essence of her personality that is reflected in what she wears, because a lot of things she chose herself. Enjoy,” said Sidonie Roberts, head of purchasing and assistant costume designer The crown. That’s why we can see in the series how those emotional and sentimental moments come back in the outfits. You can also see his preference for knitted sweaters with a V-neck that have a style British marked.

Diana’s fans can only keep our hopes high for the upcoming sixth season, hope to see a more faithful representation of the evolution of her outfits and hope that her Dior by John Galliano from the MET Gala will be rewarded for more than five seconds on screen to our joy .