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Princess Diana's wedding dress is considered one of the most iconic gowns ever worn by a royal bride. The dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, featured a 25-foot-long train made of ivory silk, pure taffeta, and antique lace, adorned with 10,000 pearls and sequins. The intricate details and grandeur of the gown set wedding fashion trends and continue to inspire brides and royal wedding enthusiasts worldwide. The story behind the creation of the dress, including the efforts to keep it a secret, adds to the fascination surrounding this iconic ensemble.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Length of the train | 25-foot-long (7.6 m) |
| Fabric | Ivory silk, pure taffeta, antique lace |
| Embellishments | 10,000 pearls and sequins, 18-karat gold horseshoe |
| Designer | David and Elizabeth Emanuel |
| Year | 1981 |
| Veil | 153 yards (140 m) of tulle |
| Value | £9,000 ($43,573 in 2023) |
| Current Owners | Prince William and Prince Harry |
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What You'll Learn
The dress was made of ivory silk, taffeta, and antique lace
Princess Diana's wedding dress was a stunning creation, with its 25-foot-long train, intricate embroidery, and thousands of pearls. The dress itself was made of ivory silk, taffeta, and antique lace, a combination that created a luxurious and elegant look.
The ivory silk used for the dress provided a soft and luminous backdrop for the intricate details of the gown. Silk is known for its smooth and lustrous texture, giving the dress a subtle shine and an air of sophistication. It also drapes beautifully, creating a fluid and graceful silhouette as the bride moved. The silk was carefully chosen to ensure the perfect fall and flow for the skirt and train.
Taffeta, a crisp and smooth fabric, added structure and fullness to the dress. It created a luxurious feel and contributed to the overall grandeur of the gown. The unique texture of taffeta, with its slight ribbing, caught the light in a subtle way, adding depth and dimension to the dress. The use of taffeta also ensured that the dress held its shape, particularly in the voluminous skirt and dramatic train.
Antique lace was a key element of the dress, adding a touch of vintage elegance. The lace was carefully selected to complement the ivory silk and taffeta. It was used for the trim and detailing, bringing a sense of old-world charm to the modern design. The lace was intricate and delicate, showcasing the meticulous craftsmanship that went into creating the dress. The combination of silk, taffeta, and lace created a rich and textured look, with each fabric enhancing the beauty of the other.
The choice of these three fabrics was a deliberate decision by the designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who wanted to create a dress that was not only stunning but also unique and memorable. The result was a gown that became an iconic symbol of royal weddings and set trends in bridal fashion for years to come. The dress was carefully constructed, with each fabric playing a crucial role in achieving the overall vision. The ivory silk, taffeta, and antique lace came together harmoniously, resulting in a dress that was not just a garment but a true work of art.
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It featured 10,000 pearls and sequins
Princess Diana's wedding dress, which she wore during her nuptials to Charles, Prince of Wales, has become the most iconic in modern history. The gown was designed by the husband-and-wife duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The Emanuels described the dress as something that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved" and would be "suitably dramatic in order to make an impression".
The ivory taffeta gown was hand-embroidered with mother-of-pearl sequins and an estimated 10,000 pearls. The pearls were sewn onto the bodice, and the gown also featured lace-trimmed puff sleeves, a ruffled neckline, and a ball gown silhouette. The dress was valued at an estimated $115,000 and would retail for approximately £90,000 at the time of its creation in 1981, which is equivalent to about £347,260.69 today.
The 10,000 pearls and sequins on the gown were not the only ones Princess Diana wore on her wedding day. Her silk shoes, designed by royal cobbler Clive Shilton, were covered in 542 sequins and 132 pearls. The heels were fairly low to the ground to allow for comfort and to avoid Diana towering over Charles. The arch of each shoe included the initials C and D, for Charles and Diana. The Emanuels also designed a parasol for Diana's bridal gown, made of lace and pearls to match her gown.
The veil, which was hand-embroidered by Peggy Umpleby, also featured 10,000 micro-pearls. The veil was 153 yards long and was made of over 450 feet of tulle. Elizabeth Emanuel shared that she asked for the tiny mother-of-pearl sequins to be scattered on the tulle so that only the sparkles of light would be visible, creating a fairy dust effect.
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The gown was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel
The Emanuels' design for Princess Diana's wedding dress was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.6 m) train and a 153-yard (140 m) tulle veil. The gown was valued at the time at £9,000 (equivalent to $43,573 in 2023). The dress was hand-embroidered with mother-of-pearl sequins and an estimated 10,000 pearls. It also featured lace-trimmed puff sleeves, a ruffled neckline, and a ball gown silhouette.
The designers worked with six different fabrics, using 75 feet of silk taffeta, 300 feet of tulle crinoline, and 450 feet of netting for the veil. They also created a 25-foot veil made of hand-embroidered silk. The gown was decorated with intricate details, including mother-of-pearl sequins and 10,000 pearls, centering on a heart motif. The embroidery was carried out by S Lock now Hand & Lock. An 18-karat gold horseshoe was stitched into the petticoats as a sign of good fortune, and a petite blue bow was sewn into the interior of the gown's waistband as her "something blue."
The Emanuels also created a parasol in matching taffeta for Diana to use in case of rain on her wedding day, and a second gown as a stand-in if the design of the original was revealed before the wedding. The spare dress had tiny pearls sewn on the bodice and was made of "pale ivory silk taffeta with embroidered scalloped details on the hem and sleeves." It shared some features with the main wedding dress, including a V-neck, three-quarter sleeves, and a wide skirt.
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The train was 25 feet long
Princess Diana's wedding dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, featured a 25-foot-long train. The dress was made of ivory silk, pure taffeta, and antique lace, with approximately 10,000 pearls and sequins. The train was so long that it barely fit inside the carriage that transported Princess Diana to St. Paul's Cathedral for her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales, on July 29, 1981.
The Emanuels went to great lengths to keep the design of the dress a secret until the wedding day, even installing a safe in their studio to store the designs and fabric swatches. They also created a spare dress in case the original design was leaked to the press. The dress was so iconic that it set wedding fashion trends, with large puffed sleeves, full skirts, and "soft touch fabrics" becoming popular requests.
The train was first unveiled during the final dress fitting at Buckingham Palace, as the designers needed a large space to unroll it. Princess Diana and her mother were initially stunned by the dramatic look but eventually expressed their happiness with the "theatrical" design. The dress has since been displayed in museums and exhibitions globally, and it was chosen as one of the "Most Influential British Royal Wedding Dresses of All Time" by Time magazine in 2018.
The gown's level of detail and grandeur was unprecedented, and it would retail for an approximate £90,000 at the time of its creation in 1981, which is equivalent to about £347,260.69 today. The dress also included a 153-yard veil, and Diana's silk slippers were adorned with 542 sequins and 132 pearls in a heart-shaped design. The bridal ensemble was valued at £9,000 at the time, or $43,573 in 2023 values.
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The dress was considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in fashion history
Princess Diana's wedding dress is considered one of the most iconic and famous dresses in the world. The gown was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, a former husband-and-wife duo. The dress was made of ivory silk taffeta and antique lace, with a 25-foot (7.6 m) train and a 153-yard tulle veil. It was decorated with hand embroidery, 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls, and an 18-karat gold horseshoe stitched into the petticoats as a sign of good fortune. The dress was valued at £9,000 at the time, equivalent to $43,573 in 2023.
The design of the dress was kept a closely guarded secret until the wedding day. The Emanuels went to great lengths to keep the sketch, silhouette, and details of the design a secret. They installed a safe in their studio to store the designs and fabric swatches, had two security guards watch over the dress every night, locked it up in a metal cabinet, kept the shutters on their windows closed, and even put scraps of fabric in the garbage to throw journalists off the scent. Diana personally selected the designers because she was fond of a chiffon blouse they had designed for her formal photo session with Lord Snowdon.
The relationship between Diana and the Emanuels began prior to her engagement to Charles. She had turned to them for three to four evening gowns for key occasions, which had turned heads and established her as a style icon. This level of trust led Diana to entrust the label with the design of her wedding dress. The Emanuels described the dress as something that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved," and which would be "suitably dramatic in order to make an impression."
The dress set wedding fashion trends after the wedding, with large puffed sleeves, full skirts, and "soft touch fabrics" becoming popular requests. Copies by other dressmakers were available "within hours" of the wedding. Today, the dress is still considered a "gold standard" in wedding fashion, and replicas of the dress are still requested.
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Frequently asked questions
Princess Diana's wedding dress train was 25 feet long.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was made of ivory silk, pure taffeta, and antique lace. It was decorated with 10,000 pearls and sequins.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by the former husband-and-wife duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel.
Princess Diana bequeathed her wedding dress to her sons, Princes William and Harry, in her will. They officially inherited it in 2014, and have since loaned it out for exhibitions.
