Upon entering The Crown's wardrobe department at Elstree Studios, full of different tweed fabrics, trench coats, three-piece suits, Barbours and wellies, the racks dedicated to Diana Spencer stand out. Without a doubt, and as the series also demonstrates, we are above all a style icon. He popularized everything from the Vichy print to transparencies, bubblegum pink, sweaters with a black sheep, bikers and baseball caps. But there is even more, her swimsuits when she was already divorced have a great meaning, which the popular series also wanted to echo in its last season.
“From the summer of 1997 until her death, which is the period covered by the final season of The Crown, Diana basically fulfilled three roles: mother, activist and extremely seductive divorced woman. It is precisely what her swimwear reflects, which in this installment becomes the gala dress of other seasons," explains Sidonie Roberts, fashion designer and head buyer for the character of Lady Di, to journalist Bethan Holten in a report. published in the English newspaper The Telegraph a few days ago.
Thus, we see her in a fuchsia swimsuit with neon green details on vacation with her children, days in which the paparazzi were already reaching unprecedented media harassment. Precisely for this reason, and as the series shows, Lady Di put on a leopard-print halter-neck swimsuit and posed for a few moments in front of the insistent photographers, telling them: “I'll give you this if you give me, in return, a little privacy. “William is having a really hard time.”
That same swimsuit, produced by the Gottex company, which was in charge of the corsetry of the Royal House and which has also dressed actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor and Brooke Shields on numerous occasions, was worn by Diana on other trips with the millionaire playboy Dodi-al. -Fayed, combining it with Versace sunglasses.
Such has been the stir caused by this swimsuit following the trailer for the final season of The Crown that Gottex has put it back on sale online for around 228 euros. Likewise, you can purchase, only at Harrod's and for 89 euros, matching sarongs with this swimsuit and with others that Lady Di wore in the last period of her life, also made by Gottex.
“Another swimsuit that we cannot miss is the light blue one she wore sitting on the catwalk of Dodi al-Fayed's yacht contemplating the horizon. In those moments, what the princess's gaze conveyed was isolation, innocence and sadness, something that is also associated with this very light tone of blue,” highlights Grazia UK stylist Karen Hunt.
“In the world of royalty, blue symbolizes credibility and reliability. All the costumes in the series, from the cut to the color and the print, play an essential role in transmitting emotions, the evolution of the characters and even the political dynamics of each moment,” adds the internationally renowned fashion specialist. Sátria Schneider in an exclusive interview for Magazine Lifestyle.
Shneider precisely uses the name fashion extravaganza when referring to the costumes of The Crown, since it allows one to immerse oneself in the history, drama and captivating narrative of the Windsors. “Every outfit Lady Di chose represented how she felt. Neutral and dark colors for days that called for demonstrating her inner strength or making a speech that broke barriers, more airy or tight-fitting dresses to highlight her femininity... Each garment tells a story, just as we see it today in her daughter-in-law's looks, Kate Middleton. Her transition from her university era, with very preppy looks, to today, is also an example of the communicative power of fashion,” she points out.
The accessories in the series are also crucial, such as the iconic bag that the Dior house dedicated to the princess, the desired Lady Dior, which continues to be reinterpreted season after season and starring in catwalk shows and red carpets; to the golden earrings that she wore on the high seas; the Tod's loafers immortalized during her visit to Bosnia along with Armani mum jeans and Ralph Lauren shirts; and the Italian Superga sneakers.
To all these sequences that reflect historical moments that we also see in documentaries, or that could be seen on television at the end of the nineties of the last century, are joined by others for which Sidonie Roberts has contributed all her documentation about Diana's life to make it possible to create outfits that fit perfectly with the life that the princess led at all times.
“I have really enjoyed recreating those minutes that the cameras did not capture. Hence, I even bought items on eBay and on websites dedicated to vintage, such as a sports shirt with turquoise stripes and gold details from the Rafael brand, or the look that I like the most from the sixth season, consisting of blue striped pants and Courrèges cream and a Guy Laroche top that Diana wears in the fiction when saying goodbye to Dodi after their first vacation together. I call it Diana's algorithm. "I think about what they would advise her to wear if she were in the world now," the designer tells The Times, while in The Telegraph she remembers how the princess turned anything, from an oversized Adidas t-shirt to a pair of cyclists, into an object of desire. .
To personify all this, it has had the participation of Elizabeth Devicki, the Australian actress who plays Diana again in this last season. “We had all of her clothes on her yacht and every morning he would talk to her and say: 'How do you, playing Diana, feel today?' More confortable? Looking to be more seductive?’” Roberts recalls.
For the last days of Lady Di's life, with scenes filmed in the Francesc Macià square in Barcelona simulating a Parisian kiosk and one of the popular lollipops in the French capital, Roberts remained faithful to the images of the time and worked with a tailor to make two pantsuits. “We wanted to keep the final scene as true to life as it is a sensitive and really tragic moment in history, so we didn't want to take any of that away from it,” she tells Holten.
In the sixth season we will also be able to see the link between fashion and British tradition. Dominic West, who plays the then Prince of Wales and today King of England, appears in a tartan kilt, an element intrinsically linked to the culture of Scotland, where the famous Balmoral Castle, the favorite residence of the late Elizabeth, is located. II.
Likewise, and in this same vein, we will again see Barbour windbreaker coats and exquisite suits that have had the participation of pattern makers and designers from the mecca of London tailoring, Savile Row. In The Crown nothing has been left to chance. Let's enjoy it once again.
