Today Tours New Princess Diana Fashion Exhibit at Kensington Palace

Take a look inside the new museum

By Francesca Bacardi Feb 22, 2017 4:31 PMTags
Princess Diana Fashion Exhibit, Today ShowToday

You will now be able to see some of Princess Diana's iconic wardrobe pieces up close—that is, if you're willing to travel across the pond to Kensington Palace. But if you can't make it, the Today show is more than happy to give you a tour.

The palace is opening a new exhibit called "Diana: Her Fashion Story" that will display 26 of the late princess' most famous dresses and ensembles, and the Today show got a first look that was aired Wednesday morning. Anyone who followed Princess Diana's many public appearances will recognize some of the dresses, including the blue velvet gown she famously wore while dancing with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.

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Princess Diana's Best Looks
Tim Graham/Getty Images

"[The exhibit] is a sort of journey through her evolving style, learning how she learned to dress to adhere to the royal rules," curator Eleri Lynn told Today Style. "There are so many things you have to take into consideration, dressing as a royal princess. So you kind of learn with her as you go through the exhibition."

Historical Royal Palaces is still in the process of collecting items for the exhibit but revealed it secured a green tartan Emanuel coat Princess Diana wore on a trip to Venice in the 1980s. Many of Princess Diana's favorite designers, and the original sketches they created for her, will also be highlighted. 

"She worked closely with designers but definitely had an eye for design herself," Lynn said. "She was very good at communicating with people through what she wore. She would always ask designers when she was trying things on, 'What message am I giving out when I wear this?' So you have her wearing colorful, beautiful things to children's hospitals, for example, because she knew that would be attractive to children. She was good at making herself approachable through clothing." 

The exhibit comes nearly 20 years after Princess Diana's untimely passing. Prince William and Prince Harry will also pay tribute to their late mother this spring and summer with a garden. She famously adored Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden and frequently stopped by to chat with the gardeners.

"Diana: Her Fashion Story" opens this month.

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