The summer of 1994 was unusually hot for Britain. Hot, sunny days were followed by closed, sticky nights – and by the end of June, the pressure started to build. The last week of the month was explosive, meteorologically and culturally.
On Friday, June 24, an exceptionally severe storm hit the south east of the UK, spreading so much grass pollen that it triggered a sudden, short-lived asthma epidemic.
Two days later, and after years of mounting speculation, the British press broke the news that then-Prince Charles accidentally revealed his infidelity to Princess Diana during an ITN documentary. When asked if he had remained loyal to his wife, the current King of the United Kingdom nodded. “Yes, absolutely,” he said before adding about his marriage, “until it irretrievably fell apart.”
On Wednesday, June 29, the same day the show aired to 13 million viewers across the country, Diana emerged from the emotional wreckage to attend a gala in a gown so captivating that it has since been known simply as “the dress of revenge”.
Black, off the shoulder with a sweetheart neckline and a fitted skirt that ended above the knee, the cocktail dress – designed by Christina Stambolian – was unlike anything Diana, or any other royal, had ever worn in public.
“Diana wanted to look like a million dollars,” former Princess Anna Harvey’s stylist said in “Princess Diana’s Dresses: The Auction,” a 2013 Channel 4 documentary. “And she did.”
The next morning, pictures of her incendiary outfit were published on the front pages of British tabloids: “Revenge is chic,” wrote the Sun. “Di last night showed Charles what he’s been missing.”
Nearly thirty years later, the dress – and the moment of power it signifies – remains one of the most indelible pop culture moments in history. And it will likely gain a new audience, thanks to the fifth season of the Netflix historical drama “The Crown” which airs on November 9.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress Elizabeth Debicki – who will take on the role of Diana from Emma Corrin – highlighted the dress as a key to understanding Diana’s character. “It sparked something in me as an actress,” she said.
“I really can’t explain it. It’s amazing that a dress represents a moment in history, or that this human’s life represents so much and becomes so iconic. So this was a big day on set for me!”
After news of her casting broke, Debicki told EW that the sacred dress was among the first questions on many lips. “It fascinated me how people were in a trance in that dress,” she said.
“When it became known that I had the role, I got these congratulatory text messages, (but) there were also a lot of text messages about the revenge dress. ‘Can you wear the revenge dress?’ ‘Oh my God, you can wear the revenge dress!”
Diana’s decision to wear the dress that night was apparently impulsive. According to “Princess Diana’s Dresses: Auction,” it was tucked away in her closet for three years before its fateful release, for fear it would be “too daring,” stylist Stambolian said.
Instead, the Telegraph reported that Diana had been fitted for a Valentino gown — but a premature press release sent out by the fashion house warning journalists about the ensemble put her off. But while it may have been a quick trial, the revenge dress created a legacy that would last nearly three decades, and counting.
It was a moment of sartorial autonomy: a rebellion against royal dress codes and imposed notions of chastity and submission. Instead of submitting to shame or public scorn, Diana told the world that she would not go silent.
Source: CNN Brasil
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