Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History by Fareeda Elsayed

It’s time to bring Royalty to Routure! What better icon to turn to than Princess Diana herself? While we remember Diana Spencer by her unmatched kindness and devotion to philanthropy, there is no doubt that she was also a trendsetter; she inspired women all over the globe to not only wear bold clothes in confidence, but also taught people to use style as a tool to communicate one’s authentic self. In many ways, Princess Diana’s style was often seen as “un-royal” and controversial in the eyes of the royal family, but the paparazzi still could not get enough of her and her fashion. All eyes were on her, and her legacy lives on as Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and even we adopt inspiration from her stylish outfits.

Diana’s Best Looks

In the 80s and 90s, Princess Diana never failed to serve. Her immaculate style ranged from all patterns; she would go from bold and bright, to sequins and sexy, to pure street style.

Diana once challenged Royal Family protocol when she began to wear one-shoulder and strapless dresses. She also turned heads at the National Gallery in D.C. wearing an all white sequins gown made by Hachi.

Diana was crowned a princess when she was just twenty-years-old, so this flawless strapless gown made by the Emmanuels embodies her youth with just enough class and elegance. Although she is pictured wearing royal gloves at this event, she rarely ever did before or after it. Diana loved to shake and hold people’s hands; her humility not only was shown through her benevolent personality, but she made her wardrobe convey the same message.

In the late 90s, Diana took her bold fashion a step further with a glamorous halter dress by Catherine Walker. Wearing a skirt a few inches above the knee defied the rules of the Royal Family, but you haven’t seen anything yet.

Not only did Diana do us a service as being one of the greatest fashion icons in history, but she adopted styles from some of the greatest women of her time. Although no one could ever compare to First Lady Jackie Kennedy in her pink Chanel suit, Diana was pretty damn close; Princess Diana challenged the American fashion icon by wearing a pink Versace suit skirt in 1995. Kate Middleton recently added her own modern twist to the pink suits with an affordable Marks & Spencer pantsuit.

Nothing screams “Royalty” more than red on Princess D. With the rise of checkered print and plaid during this era, let’s take a moment to appreciate another one of Diana’s skirt suits that screams luxury through bright colors and bold patterns.

Source: GettyImages

The Revenge Dress

If you remember one thing about Princess Diana, remember her in the “Revenge Dress”. The “Revenge Dress” combined sexy with superiority; it was an off-the-shoulder, form-fitting, silky black dress that received the greatest jaw-drops. After finding out her (former) husband, Prince Charles, was cheating on her, what better way to show off independence and strength than by breaking the Royal wardrobe protocol? The Royal wardrobe protocol would not be her concern anymore. After all, well-behaved women rarely ever make history.

Street Style

Hmm, this type of fashion looks familiar, doesn’t it? Diana’s neon orange biker shorts are everything and more, and on top of that, those chunky sneakers and socks make the look. The pictured oversized crewneck was later auctioned off for $53,532 according to Vanity Fair.

This monochrome outfit with a pop of soft green is as chic as it gets. Although Princess Diana did have to differentiate herself from the crowd as a member of the Royal Family, she was not afraid to embrace her decade’s fashion trends.

Diana was a leader of fashion, a philanthropist, and a Princess all in one; her heart and character radiated in every one of her outfits. Diana’s confidence was absolutely inspiring to women of all ages, and her defiance will continue to inspire those who follow her. Empowering us, Diana will arguably be one of the greatest fashion influencers of all time - as she should be.