Diana’s so-called revenge dress, the off-the-shoulder black Christina Stambolian cocktail dress she wore in 1994, is one of the most famous garments of the twentieth century, and Vanity Fair Italia reports that it is due to go under the hammer again on 9 December. Yet more than a decade earlier, another black dress had already caused a stir. It marked the moment a shy 19-year-old stepped into public life as the future Princess of Wales.
A grown-up gown at Goldsmiths’ Hall
On 9 March 1981, only days after her engagement to Prince Charles had been announced, Lady Diana Spencer joined him at a fundraising concert and reception for the Royal Opera House at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. It was their first official evening engagement as a couple. Among the guests that night was Princess Grace of Monaco.
For the occasion Diana turned to David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the design duo who would go on to create her wedding dress. Elizabeth Emanuel has told British Vogue that Diana spotted a frothy black silk taffeta gown hanging on a rail in their Brook Street showroom during a secret fitting, fell in love with it and did not mind that it had already been worn to a charity event. Until then, the designer recalled, the young bride-to-be’s wardrobe had been all pale pink, baby blue netting and sequins. Strapless, fitted and finished with a dramatic ruffle, this was her first truly grown-up dress, and in it she looked like a film star.
Why black caused such a fuss
Not everyone was won over. Diana later told her biographer Andrew Morton that Charles questioned the choice before they left, reminding her that black was the colour of mourning. She also admitted she had been terrified that evening, unsure even which hand should hold her evening bag. The next day the gown was on front pages, criticised both for its colour and for its low neckline. The Emanuels have since said they simply had not thought about the photographs, and that they were reassured when Lord Snowdon wrote to say Diana had looked stunning.
The criticism did not last. Within months Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Emanuels would make the wedding dress, and that bold black debut is now remembered as the night a fashion icon was born. Many royal women have since worn black to happy occasions, and the lesson still stands: a confident evening look needs very little beyond a great silhouette and a few well-chosen jewels. Diana’s own engagement ring was famously set with a blue sapphire, so browse our sapphire rings, add sparkle with statement earrings or a refined pendant necklace, or let a coordinated jewellery set do the work.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, “Lady Diana: il suo primo abito nero scelto per il debutto di coppia con Carlo creò scalpore” (14 October 2026); British Vogue, “The Fabulously Frou Frou Dress That Changed Princess Diana’s Style Forever”; TODAY, “Princess Diana wore daring dress at 1st royal engagement”; CBS News, “Diana’s Daring Black Dress Goes on the Block”; Getty Images archive captions (Anwar Hussein, Tim Graham), 9 March 1981.
