Princess Diana’s post royal style transformation: Fashion designer spills secrets

Princess Diana became a style icon for the ages almost as soon as she stepped into the spotlight following her marriage into the royal family.

With her grand 1981 wedding gown, the late Princess of Wales became an instant attraction, as she stuck to the fancy and frilly roots of her early style until around the end of 1990s.

However, as Diana matured through the years, her marriage at just 19 years of age and the style associated with her early image gradually shed away.

Now, the designer behind her style transformation, particularly post her royal separation, has detailed what went into curating her later wardrobe.

Regarding Diana’s style “at the beginning of her popularity”, Jacques Azagury said, “If I’m honest, she had none: her clothes were clumsy and misguided, everything was too ‘English’.”

“So from the very first dress I made for her, I set myself the goal of stripping her of all the ruffled collars and frills and preparing her for the world stage. And it worked,” he further revealed.

While the Princess and designer duo first met each other in the late ‘80s, the Moroccan-born designer also shared that when he saw her again in the next decade, she was going through a rapid style transformation on her own.

“When we met again in the early 1990s, Diana’s taste was changing rapidly,” he told Vanity Fair.

He further claimed, “Actually her style change was thanks to me, because she put great trust in me. And I was very clear on what direction to take her.”

Notably, Jacques Azagury designed a string of looks from her, which came to be known as “The Famous Five”.

One of those looks included the Swan Lake dress; a sequined ice blue creation, which the Princess wore to attend a performance at the English National Ballet, in 1997.

“The main details of this simple dress are the deep square neckline with bows and its length well above the knee. It obviously caused a sensation,” the designer shared about the look.

Meanwhile, Princess Diana separated from then Prince Charles in 1992, while their divorce was finalised in 1996.