To make the nearly eight meters of train that finished off Diana of Wales' wedding dress, the designer duo responsible for the design, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, had to exchange their Mayfair studio for an abandoned wing of Buckingham Palace. Only there did they find enough space to shape the longest queue ever worn by royalty (just over 7.6 meters), a record that, together with the princess, they deliberately sought to break. The anecdote is just one more of those that have contributed to wrapping legends about what is considered by the specialized press as one of the most relevant and influential wedding dresses in history, with the permission of Grace Kelly. 40 years after Lady Di wore it on her link with Prince Charles in 1981,fans of the ill-fated princess will be able to get a closer look at her in Kensington Palace's new exhibition from yesterday, June 3, until January 2 of next year.
Under the title of
Royal Style in the Making
(This is how the style of royalty is made
), the exhibition includes unpublished pieces by some of the most celebrated couturiers of the twentieth century monarchy, among which are evening dresses and garments created by measured for three generations of royal women, and in which the wedding dress of "the princess of the people" - inherited by her sons Guillermo and Enrique - promises to be the star. The exhibition coincides with what would have been Diana's 60th birthday, July 1, and with the 40-year anniversary of the wedding of the then Princes of Wales, which took place on July 29, 1981 in the cathedral of San Pablo before 3,500 guests.
Diana of Wales on her wedding day, July 29, 1981, in a portrait taken at Buckingham Palace dressed as a bride. DPA via Europa Press / Europa Press
The design's bombastic ivory puff sleeves and voluminous taffeta skirt set trends at the time and continue to fascinate today. This is how Cristina Martínez Pardo-Cobián considers it, founder of Navascués, one of the favorite bridal workshops of the national aristocracy thanks to its classic and timeless designs, responsible for the dress that Belén Corsini wore a few days ago in her relationship with Carlos Fitz-James Stuart , youngest son of the Duke of Alba. “The suit was a reference during the eighties and many brides wanted designs inspired by it. Diana's shy and reserved personality was the complete opposite of what that Victorian dress represented. That contrast is part of its appeal ”, explains the designer.
Although current brides "seek to mark their figure", in the words of the creator, the return of sleeves with volume and the eighties references present on the catwalks keep alive the excessive spirit of design, decorated with bows and large ruffles. Even more so after the broadcast of the fourth season of the series
The Crown
in which the actress Emma Corrin, in charge of giving life to the princess, donned an approximate replica that had the advice of David Emanuel himself and for which 600 hours of work and 95 meters of fabric were needed. Despite the success of the fiction, one of the most watched and awarded Netflix, its repercussion pales before the global audience that followed the genuine link through television: 750 million people.
Princess Diana and Charles of England on their wedding day in London on July 29, 1981.CORDON PRESS
The residue left by what was one of the first televised media weddings - and the most watched link of the twentieth century -, as well as the fateful outcome of the princess, help to explain the phenomenon that still surrounds the dress and everything that has to do with it. see with the figure of Diana. Not forgetting the legal battle that recently faced its creators in court, putting it back on the front page. David Emanuel sued his former wife and the other half of the creative duo, Elizabeth, accusing her of auctioning, without his consent, some sketches of the famous wedding dress, as well as other designs that the then wife of Carlos of England wore during their marriage. The couple, whose garments became the most coveted in British fashion in the 1980s thanks to the support of Lady Di,ended their romantic and personal relationship nine years after the royal marriage.
Although they both tried to separately resume their careers in the industry, their names never regained the prominence granted to them by signing the most influential bridal design of the last century. Elizabeth Emanuel herself told the British newspaper
The Telegraph
in November that her intention was to create "a Disney movie design that resonates in time." Judging by the attention that continues to garner four decades later, there is no doubt that they got it.
