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NDTV
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
When Princess Diana Altered Her Met Gala Dress, Shocking Designer
When Princess Diana stepped onto the red carpet at the Met Gala in 1996, the world paused. Newly divorced from Prince Charles, this was her first and only appearance at the famed fashion fundraiser. And she made it unforgettable by altering her designer gown, shocking even the designer who created it. The navy silk slip dress by John Galliano, touted as her first foray into post-divorce fashion rebellion, was meant to be worn with a corset. But Diana had other ideas. She turned it into a negligee-inspired statement. Flying into New York hours earlier, Diana was trailed by flashing cameras from the tarmac to the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was joined by her close friend and the evening's chair, Harper's Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis, as she made her way into what was then a very exclusive fashion circle. The navy blue silk slip dress, trimmed with black lace, was unlike anything Diana had worn before. Mr Galliano, who had just started hsi tenure at Dior, had consulted with Diana at Kensington Palace, sketching out ideas and trying to persuade her to wear pink. "She was not having it," he said in the Hulu series In Vogue: The 90s. Instead, she chose something darker and bolder, and then altered it without telling him. "I couldn't believe it," Mr Galliano recalled. "She'd ripped the corset out. She didn't want to wear the corset," because she "felt so liberated." Diana's wardrobe had long been under scrutiny, dictated by royal protocol and the weight of monarchy. But on that night, those rules no longer applied. For accessories, she wore her signature sapphire and pearl choker, the one she paired with her iconic "revenge dress" and the "Travolta dress" from her White House dance. On her finger was her sapphire engagement ring. Years later, her son Prince William would propose to Kate Middleton with that very ring. The mini Dior handbag she carried, once a gift from France's First Lady, had been renamed the "Lady Dior" in her honour. Now, nearly three decades later, the Met Gala continues, and stars are once again walking the same steps Princess Diana once did. The 2025 Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, celebrates the theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style'. This year's theme shines a light on the history and impact of Black dandyism - a unique style rooted in elegance, rebellion, and cultural pride. Inspired by Dr Monica L Miller's book Slaves to Fashion, the exhibition also marks the Costume Institute's first menswear-focused showcase since 2003.
Business Insider
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Princess Diana wore a lingerie-inspired gown for her only Met Gala appearance. It was the ultimate 'revenge' dress.
Princess Diana only attended one Met Gala, but she sure knew how to make an entrance. In honor of fashion's biggest night, which returns on Monday with the theme "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," we're diving back into the Met Gala archives. And it'd be hard to find an A-list attendee who made a bigger splash than the people's princess. Diana walked the famous Met steps on December 9, 1996, four months after she finalized her divorce from then-Prince Charles. The 1996 Met Gala theme paid tribute to Christian Dior, so Diana wore a dress designed by John Galliano, who had just become head designer of the legendary French fashion house. Diana wore a navy-blue, lingerie-inspired slip dress decorated with black lace, as well as a matching robe. She accessorized the slinky ensemble with sapphire earrings and a sapphire choker necklace that matched her iconic engagement ring. In the 2024 Hulu docuseries "In Vogue: The 90s," Galliano revealed that he tried to convince Diana to wear pink to the Met Gala. "We went to Kensington Palace and discussed drawings. I was trying to push for pink, but she was not having it. 'No, not the pink!' That was real, real fun," he recalled. Galliano's dress originally had a corset, but he said Diana removed it without letting him know before she arrived at the Met Gala. "Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car," Galliano said. "I couldn't believe it. She'd ripped the corset out." "She felt so liberated. She'd torn the corset out. The dress was much more… sensuous," he added. Eloise Moran, author of "The Lady Di Look Book: What Diana Was Trying To Tell Us Through Her Clothes," told Yahoo during a 2021 interview that Diana's Met Gala ensemble was a "revenge" look following her divorce from Charles. "That was one of her most shocking dresses," Moran said. "But I thought she looked fabulous. She just looks so happy and confident." "I think she was embracing it and enjoying it," the author added. "She knew she could never get rid of the attention and the spotlight on her, but I think she was positioning it in a different way, as a kind of international megastar, Marilyn Monroe-type icon rather than a member of the royal family. And I think the dress really reflected that." Diana did have some reservations about the dress. Royal biographer Katie Nicholl, who wrote "William and Harry," revealed that the princess was worried it might embarrass her eldest son, Prince William, who was 14 years old at the time. But her gown has now become a part of fashion history, even going on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
CNN
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Remember when Princess Diana wowed the Met Gala in a risqué — and secretly altered — gown?
She was the most influential style icon of the 1990s. And the Met Gala was, as it is today, fashion's biggest night out. So, while it may come as a surprise that Princess Diana only attended the annual fundraiser once, in 1996, it's little wonder she was the center of attention. Then the Princess of Wales, she arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art just hours after reaching New York City by Concorde. Cameras and commotion had accompanied her every move since divorcing Britain's then-heir, Prince Charles, less than four months earlier. And as she ascended the Met's iconic steps with her friend (and the evening's chair), Harper's Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis, it was clear Diana intended to embrace the attention. This was evident not only in her choice of gown — a daring, negligee-inspired navy slip dress with a black lace trim — but also in her decision to secretly alter the garment into something far more risqué than its designer had intended. The outfit was the work of John Galliano, who had recently left Givenchy to take the helm at Dior. That year's Met Gala theme (and accompanying exhibition) centered on the French label's founder, Christian Dior. And Galliano's first couture assignment was to dress the event's best-known attendee. He visited London's Kensington Palace ahead of the gala to share drawings and discuss ideas with the princess. Recounting the experience in last year's Hulu documentary series 'In Vogue: The 90s,' the British designer said he lobbied Diana to wear pink but 'she was not having it.' The princess had it her own way — and then some: After receiving the finished gown, she drastically modified it without Galliano's knowledge. 'Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car. I couldn't believe it. She'd ripped the corset out,' the designer revealed in the documentary. 'She didn't want to wear the corset.' Royal biographer Katie Nicholl has claimed that Diana worried the racy outfit might embarrass her then-14-year-old son, Prince William. But the look appeared to be well received by the press and other attendees. 'She just makes it a little more glamorous, a little more beautiful, because she is both,' broadcaster Barbara Walters told tabloid TV show 'Hard Copy,' whose segment gushed that Diana was 'a work of art.' Later that week, a New York Times opinion piece said the princess had 'demonstrated the restorative powers of celebrity.' Moreover, the look signaled that Diana was no longer constrained by a royal dress code — one that would have, surely, dictated a ballgown (or at least a far less revealing floor-length evening gown) for an event like the Met Gala. 'She felt so liberated,' Galliano said in the 2024 documentary, describing the altered outfit as 'much more sensuous' than his initial design. Diana's jewelry choice also communicated reclaimed agency. She wore her sapphire engagement ring — on the ring finger of her left hand, no less. In this new context, however, the ring became a symbol of independence. It had been her mother's, and her decision to continue wearing the jewel re-established it as a family heirloom, not the vestige of a doomed marriage. The ring was later used by William when he proposed to Kate Middleton in 2010. The statement sapphire-and-pearl choker Diana took to the Met was, meanwhile, the same one she'd sported with both her 'revenge dress' (the low-cut satin gown worn after Charles' infidelity came to light) and her 'Travolta dress' (the off-the-shoulder number she'd danced with John Travolta in, 10 years earlier). Then there was Diana's bag, which spoke to her status as a fashion icon. It was a mini version of one she had received as a gift from France's then-first lady, Bernadette Chirac, the year prior. Designed by Galliano's predecessor at Dior, Gianfranco Ferré, and unofficially known as the Chouchou — 'favorite' in French — the original bag accompanied Diana to numerous public events. Her patronage proved so influential that in 1996 Dior renamed it The Lady Dior in her honor. Eye-catching, on-theme and full of symbolism — it was, in many ways, the perfect Met Gala look. And as fashion's A-list prepares to follow, quite literally, in the princess' footsteps at the 2025 fundraiser on Monday, it is worth remembering: Few arrivals on the museum's staircase have generated quite as much excitement as Diana's.
CNN
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Remember when Princess Diana wowed the Met Gala in a risqué — and secretly altered — gown?
She was the most influential style icon of the 1990s. And the Met Gala was, as it is today, fashion's biggest night out. So, while it may come as a surprise that Princess Diana only attended the annual fundraiser once, in 1996, it's little wonder she was the center of attention. Then the Princess of Wales, she arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art just hours after reaching New York City by Concorde. Cameras and commotion had accompanied her every move since divorcing Britain's then-heir, Prince Charles, less than four months earlier. And as she ascended the Met's iconic steps with her friend (and the evening's chair), Harper's Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis, it was clear Diana intended to embrace the attention. This was evident not only in her choice of gown — a daring, negligee-inspired navy slip dress with a black lace trim — but also in her decision to secretly alter the garment into something far more risqué than its designer had intended. The outfit was the work of John Galliano, who had recently left Givenchy to take the helm at Dior. That year's Met Gala theme (and accompanying exhibition) centered on the French label's founder, Christian Dior. And Galliano's first couture assignment was to dress the event's best-known attendee. He visited London's Kensington Palace ahead of the gala to share drawings and discuss ideas with the princess. Recounting the experience in last year's Hulu documentary series 'In Vogue: The 90s,' the British designer said he lobbied Diana to wear pink but 'she was not having it.' The princess had it her own way — and then some: After receiving the finished gown, she drastically modified it without Galliano's knowledge. 'Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car. I couldn't believe it. She'd ripped the corset out,' the designer revealed in the documentary. 'She didn't want to wear the corset.' Royal biographer Katie Nicholl has claimed that Diana worried the racy outfit might embarrass her then-14-year-old son, Prince William. But the look appeared to be well received by the press and other attendees. 'She just makes it a little more glamorous, a little more beautiful, because she is both,' broadcaster Barbara Walters told tabloid TV show 'Hard Copy,' whose segment gushed that Diana was 'a work of art.' Later that week, a New York Times opinion piece said the princess had 'demonstrated the restorative powers of celebrity.' Moreover, the look signaled that Diana was no longer constrained by a royal dress code — one that would have, surely, dictated a ballgown (or at least a far less revealing floor-length evening gown) for an event like the Met Gala. 'She felt so liberated,' Galliano said in the 2024 documentary, describing the altered outfit as 'much more sensuous' than his initial design. Diana's jewelry choice also communicated reclaimed agency. She wore her sapphire engagement ring — on the ring finger of her left hand, no less. In this new context, however, the ring became a symbol of independence. It had been her mother's, and her decision to continue wearing the jewel re-established it as a family heirloom, not the vestige of a doomed marriage. The ring was later used by William when he proposed to Kate Middleton in 2010. The statement sapphire-and-pearl choker Diana took to the Met was, meanwhile, the same one she'd sported with both her 'revenge dress' (the low-cut satin gown worn after Charles' infidelity came to light) and her 'Travolta dress' (the off-the-shoulder number she'd danced with John Travolta in, 10 years earlier). Then there was Diana's bag, which spoke to her status as a fashion icon. It was a mini version of one she had received as a gift from France's then-first lady, Bernadette Chirac, the year prior. Designed by Galliano's predecessor at Dior, Gianfranco Ferré, and unofficially known as the Chouchou — 'favorite' in French — the original bag accompanied Diana to numerous public events. Her patronage proved so influential that in 1996 Dior renamed it The Lady Dior in her honor. Eye-catching, on-theme and full of symbolism — it was, in many ways, the perfect Met Gala look. And as fashion's A-list prepares to follow, quite literally, in the princess' footsteps at the 2025 fundraiser on Monday, it is worth remembering: Few arrivals on the museum's staircase have generated quite as much excitement as Diana's.
Buzz Feed
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
17 Met Gala Looks That Took "Beauty Is Pain" Wayyyy Too Far
Hot Topic 🔥 Full coverage and conversation on the Met Gala A lot of famous women embrace the saying "beauty is pain" on the red carpet. However, a dress doesn't have to be super restrictive to be beautiful — just look at Princess Diana's 1996 Met Gala dress! In the Hulu docuseries In Vogue: The 90s, Dior designer John Galliano said, "She'd been invited to the Met, and she would wear one of my to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car. I couldn't believe it. She'd ripped the corset out. She didn't want to wear the corset. She felt so liberated. She'd torn the corset out. The dress was much more sensuous." Here are 17 Met Gala looks that celebs struggled to breathe, eat, or move in: 1. In 2024, Tyla wore an hourglass-inspired Balmain dress. Per Vogue, the sand was molded to a cast of her body. To get up the stairs, she needed three assistants — one to carry her while she stayed completely still, and two to hold her train. You can watch the video here. Here's her full look. When she got inside the event, Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, trimmed her dress to a more manageable length. You can see the Instagram video here. 2. At the 2018 Met Gala, Rihanna's pope-inspired Margiela look was difficult to wear because of its weight. She told Entertainment Tonight, "It was heavy. Every step was a squat. I promise you, my butt gained from that night. I had another option that was a lot more simple, same Margiela, but I felt like it was an insult to the people who sat there and, like, hand-beaded that entire thing, to just say, 'No, put that in the archives.' It was so great, I couldn't deny it." 3. In 2016, Kylie Jenner wore a silver Balmain gown that left her with scratched, bleeding legs and bruised, swollen feet. Sharing pictures on Snapchat, she added, "It was worth it, though." Here's her full look: 4. Then, in 2017, Kylie wore a Versace gown. On an episode of Life of Kylie, she tried the dress on for the first time and said it needed to be tight enough for her to "kind of suffocate." And here's a full look at her outfit: 5. At the 2018 Met Gala, Zendaya wore a cumbersome Joan of Arc-inspired look. She told Vogue, "The day before, going there, putting it on, I was like, 'Wow.' It was so heavy 'cause of the beading, but it was so beautifully constructed, and it's Versace. And typically, like, I can handle a night out, you know, with my heels and everything. I've been wearing heels for a long time, but I don't know. It was something about a mixture of, like, wearing these platforms and, like, the heaviness of my dress. I was struggling. I was like, 'I need to sit down.' But it was all worth it." 6. In 2018, Bella Hadid accessorized her Chrome Hearts gown with a 10-pound veil. On her Instagram story, she said, "If anyone was wondering why I couldn't move, it's because a legend by the name of @jenatkinhair sewed a whole entire 10-pound veil to my head." Here's her full look: 7. In 2011, Beyoncé wore a Emilio Pucci mermaid gown. She seemingly struggled to walk, and her husband, Jay Z, and her stylist, Ty Hunter, helped her walk up the famous staircase. Here's a full look at her dress: 8. At the 2024 Met Gala, Elle Fanning wore a Balmain gown with sculptural birds on the shoulders. However, per the Washington Post, the dress was a challenge to walk in, and to get up the stairs, she had to side-step while holding hands with two assistants. You can see the video here. 9. At the 2023 Met Gala, Chloe Fineman wore a Wiederhoeft gown. She told Vogue, "The first fitting was hilarious. It was Ana de Armas's week on SNL. We had just finished our table read that Wednesday, and Jackson [Wiederhoeft, the designer] came to do a fitting at 30 Rock in the SNL costume department. I was like, 'I hope they pick the American Girl doll sketch!' I was so distracted. And then he squeezed me into a corset, and I couldn't breathe." She also said her hosting duties influenced the design. She said, "The corseting is why I fell in love with him, but it can't be too tight, because, you know, I don't want to fall over." Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue 10. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Priyanka Chopra Jonas said, "My second Met Gala outfit [in 2018] was this blood-red Ralph Lauren beautiful outfit with the gold hood. But the corset under that thing, I couldn't breathe. I felt like it reshaped my ribs. So hard to sit during dinner and I obviously couldn't eat too much during that night." ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images 11. In 2021, Hailey Bieber wore a strapless Saint Laurent gown that was so tight she wasn't allowed to sit down in it. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said, "So, the thing about the dress was, I am really, like, OCD and crazy about the way things fit. Like, I am always, like, pinching things, like, 'It can go in here.' So we were kinda tailoring it to, like, the very last day in the very last second. And my whole team was like, 'You cannot sit or, like, move in a weird way until you get inside.' They're like, 'If you rip the dress inside, that's fine. But if you rip it before, there is, like, nothing we can do.'...I was able to sit inside, but it was very fitted." Kevin Mazur/MG21 / Getty Images For The Met Museum/Vogue 12. In 2022, Kendalll Jenner wore a two-piece Prada outfit that was so heavy, she needed help getting into her van. On an episode of The Kardashians, she shared that she also had a panic attack on the drive to the gala. Hulu Here's her full look: Gotham / Getty Images 13. When Anya Taylor-Joy wore a weighty Dolce & Gabbana gown to the 2018 Met Gala, Jimmy Fallon "saved [her] life." On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she told the host, "I was wearing a dress that was ridiculously heavy, and I couldn't really move, and I was just kind of trying to get through the evening. And at the end of the night, I'm at the top of the stairs. The gorgeous Hailee Steinfeld walks past me, has a very complicated, like, three-train thing, and I get wrapped up in it. And I'm like, 'Oh, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die on the steps of the Met, darling.' But literally, just out of nowhere, the 'hand of God' came out and pulled me out of it, and it was you. And you were just so sweet about it. You were like, 'Hey, I'm Jimmy. Nice to meet you.' I was like, 'Okay, thank you.'" Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images 14. At the 2019 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian a wet look Mugler outfit that consisted of a corset made by Mr. Pearl beneath silicone-covered silk organza. On Instagram, she shared that she had to take "corset breathing lessons from none other than Mr. Pearl." She also told the Wall Street Journal, "I have never felt pain like that in my life. I'll have to show you pictures of the aftermath when I took it off — the indentations on my back and my stomach." Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue 15. Then in 2021, Kim's Balenciaga outfit obscured her head-to-toe. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, her mom, Kris Jenner, said, "The whole evening of the Met Ball, Kim couldn't see, and she couldn't breathe, so my boyfriend Corey [Gamble] was walking around, we were all together, and he was leading her to where we were supposed to go, and helping with her ponytail. It was suddenly he was like, you know, somebody pulling her around and a hairstylist all at the same time." Theo Wargo / Getty Images 16. In 2022, Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe's famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress. In order for it to fit without alterations, Kim did a dangerous crash diet, which involved adding meat back to her typically plant-based menu. One of the side effects was a painful psoriasis flareup. She told Allure, "Psoriasis broke out over my body, and I got psoriatic arthritis, so I couldn't really move my hands. It was really painful, and I had to go to a rheumatologist who put me on a steroid. I was freaking out. I cut out the meat again, and it's calmed down." Taylor Hill / Getty Images 17. And finally, at the 2024 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian wore a custom Margiela by John Galliano gown with a metal corset. In a Season 6 episode of The Kardashians, she said, "I've never felt this way before, where I feel like I can't breathe. I can handle it for so long, but it's like, I have to pee, I can't breathe…I literally was dying...I'm literally gonna throw up. I've never been more uncomfortable...I've never been in this much pain before. I was gonna sneak out right before the dinner, but then I walked by [Anna Wintour's] table, and Anna goes, 'Perfect, you're here. Can you sit in my seat while I go make my rounds?'" Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images Here's what her back looked like when she took off the corset. She said it was "abso-fucking-lutely" worth it. Hulu She said, "Yes! That's just who I am. If you look good, it was all worth it." Hulu And in a BTS video from Vogue, she said, "[Breathing is] an art form, but I got it." Vogue / Via
