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Princess Diana's most memorable evening looks

July 21, 2019
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Princess Diana was and always will be one of the Royal Family's most stylish and best-dressed members. Keep reading to see some of her most iconic and memorable evening looks.

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After her divorce from Prince Charles, Princess Diana wore more international designers, like this royal-blue Versace gown, which she donned in 1996 for a fundraiser in Sydney, Australia.

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Back in 1983, the style icon shined in a heavily beaded one-shoulder look by Hachi as she and Prince Charles attended the London premiere of Octopussy.

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Diana did just as much justice to a cocktail dress, like at the Serpentine Gallery in 1995 when she wore this beaded halter-neck Catherine Walker creation in a gorgeous ice-blue shade.

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In the heart of the '80s, the People's Princess was right on trend at Guildhall wearing a ruffled, one-shoulder gown with a circle print by one of her favourite collaborators, Bruce Oldfield (whom she met through former Vogue UK editor Anna Harvey).

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Despite the deep and moody hue of her navy gown, created by a designer to whom Diana played muse - Catherine Walker - the royal was in high spirits at a charity film premiere in 1995.

The choker necklace she paired with the look was a gift from the sultan of Oman, a diamond-and-sapphire dazzler that cost almost US$500,000.

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Princess Diana was white hot in Budapest in 1990, wearing a beautiful white strapless Catherine Walker gown beaded with pearls, which she paired with a pearl choker made using a sapphire brooch originally gifted to her by the Queen Mother.

The dress, a reported favourite of the blond beauty, became known as the "Elvis" dress because of the high-collared bolero that went with it.

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Another Versace look, also with perfectly coordinated Jimmy Choo shoes, made Diana a standout while on a trip across the pond in 1996 as she attended a gala dinner at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History.

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Looking every inch the Disney princess, this 1983 taffeta and lace look by Gina Fratini was perfectly paired with the Cambridge Lovers' Knot Tiara, a family heirloom designed by Queen Mary and later worn by Duchess Kate many times since 2011.

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Princess Diana had fans green with envy as she walked the red carpet at the Dorchester Hotel in a ruched Catherine Walker gown with matching accessories. She topped off the look with the family order pinned near her neckline.

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Pushing the boundaries of royal dressing once again, Diana stepped out at a 1991 film premiere in a show-stopping, sparkly red Bruce Oldfield gown that hugged her hips and waist before flaring at the hem.

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This pink column dress delicately speckled with blue flowers would be right at home on the red carpets of today. The royal selected the look for a performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 1989.

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Princess Diana slipped into yet another Catherine Walker design – a pale-pink ball gown with a tuxedo-style off-the-shoulder neckline – for a performance by the Royal Ballet at the Berlin Opera House.

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The highly charitable royal was on hand at a function on behalf of Birthright at Garrard the Jewellers in 1987, where this black and deep-purple Catherine Walker gown with ruffled collar and cross necklace gave Diana's ensemble a Victorian feel.

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Sleek and stunning in a scoop-neck blue lace dress at the film premiere for In Love and War, all eyes were on the People's Princess as she walked the red carpet with her hands primly placed behind her Catherine Walker-clad body.

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While attending a reception in her honour in Lahore, Pakistan in 1991, Diana took a style cue from her host country in a sari-inspired pink gown with a matching neck scarf and beaded paisley bodice.

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A glamorous appearance at Cannes was one for the books as Diana practically floated down the red carpet in a whimsical, Grecian-style, silk chiffon gown by Catherine Walker. The pale-blue hue emphasized her olive complexion and the strapless neckline showed off her decolletage.

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This baroque floral-printed dress by Catherine Walker featured the princess's signature asymmetrical neckline.

Throughout her years in the spotlight, Diana was often seen wearing one-shoulder gowns and never shied away from a solid pop of colour.

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The princess danced up a storm in this one-shoulder turquoise creation by David Emanuel at the Southern Cross Hotel during her tour of Australia in 1985. The adventurous fashionista paired her stunning gown with an emerald and diamond headband.

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In Paris, Diana captivated banquet guests in a white beaded dress and matching bolero created by British designer Victor Edelstein.

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The same evening that a documentary aired in which Charles admitted that he had been unfaithful to her during their marriage, Diana donned her infamous "revenge dress" for a Vanity Fair dinner at the Serpentine Gallery close to Kensington Palace. The short off-the-shoulder silk-chiffon dress was designed by a then-relatively unknown Greek designer named Christina Stambolian.

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One of Diana's favourite gowns was this black and red Murray Arbied flamenco-inspired creation which she wore on numerous occasions. For an appearance at the America's Cup Ball in 1986, the mother of two showed off her distinct style by wearing mismatching gloves.

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An ethereal, paisley-printed Bellville Sassoon gown with a fluttery off-the-shoulder neckline and another pearl choker featuring a cameo made for a picture-perfect look at the 1994 royal variety performance.

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Diana called on this strapless Catherine Walker gown for a performance of Moulin Rouge at the Savoy Hotel in 1989. She paired the light-blue gown with a matching clutch and silver stilettos.

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In 1982, the princess stepped out in a spotted dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the same pair that designed her iconic wedding gown. She topped off her ensemble with a pair of playful pearl-and-diamond earrings.

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Diana wore the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara and a hot pink Victor Edelstein gown to attend the opera in Italy in 1985.

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At royal engagements, Diana could be counted on to reflect her vibrant personality in her clothing. Here, the princess exudes glamour in another Catherine Walker creation for a night at the opera. Her ensemble's crowning achievement is the stunning double-cluster diamond and amethyst earrings and matching double-strand diamond-and-amethyst bead choker.

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The lady in red dazzled in a form-fitted Bruce Oldfield dress for her and Charles's visit to Melbourne's National Gallery in 1985.

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To greet the visiting Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in 1986, Diana dazzled in a black and white gown by the Emanuels. The only thing more eye-catching than the gown's large striped bow is the princess's diamond-encrusted tiara.

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Diana looked out-of-this-world in a starry midnight-blue drop-waisted dress with velvet bodice by Jacques Azagury while visiting Vancouver in 1986.

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More than two decades before her son Prince William and his wife Kate visited India, Princess Diana made a fashionable visit to the country in 1992. To attend a special dinner in her honour, the princess wore a black evening gown with a jewel-encrusted top and the Spencer family tiara.

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By 1997, Diana had honed her classic style - sheath dresses that showed off her toned body. Here, posing alongside politician Elizabeth Dole, she looks regal in red Jacques Azagury at an American Red Cross dinner in Washington.

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Before she embraced the statement necklaces and chokers that would become her signature, Diana preferred simple, delicate looks, including this braided-double-strand pearl necklace; the perfect accessory for the ballet-pink sequined gown she wore to attend the London premiere of Starlight Express in 1984.

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With the Spencer family tiara on display for all to see, Diana dashed in to a state banquet at London's Claridge's Hotel in a floral and lavender gown by Catherine Walker.

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The princess sported a variation of the Catherine Walker gown she wore to a state banquet in 1989 to a private dinner with the President of South Korea in 1992. The Spencer family tiara made yet another appearance during the special occasion.

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In 1989, the royal looked marvellous in a purple printed Zandra Rhodes cocktail dress while mingling at the British Consulate in Dubai.

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Wearing a tiered off-the-shoulder gown topped with a long strand of knotted-pearls around her neck, Diana captivated crowds in Wales during a visit to the country in the late 1980s.

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In 1987, Diana's had everyone standing at attention at the Ajuda Palace in Portugal thanks to this crushed-velvet gown by Bruce Oldfield.

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