La prestigious English magazine Tatler chose it for its first cover of 2024. The evening dresses – and even some sweaters – worn by her continue to monopolize the international auction market. And the sixth and final series of The Crown, with the portrait offered by the talented Elizabeth Debicki, has kept its myth alive. Lady Diana continues to fascinate, but today she can boast a multitude of new fans: those young people who had not yet been born when the princess was alive.
There Di-mania (re)conquers the world also thanks to TikTok
In the last 12 months, and more than any other year since her death in 1997 at just 36 years old, Lady Diana has been the subject of analysis and discussion by social media and the international media. Having anticipated certainly the times, some traits of his character today manage to attract the interest of Generation Zthat is, young people born in the late nineties, who know his vicissitudes at court only through readings, The Crown or other media.
Why does Generation Z like Lady Diana so much?
Social media had a hand in it. There are countless accounts and posts TikTok And Instagram newspapers dedicated to her all over the world, each with hundreds of thousands of followers and therefore very clickable. Contributions admire Diana’s ability to speak publicly about her problems, including bulimia, and her insecurities. Highly current issues that have endeared it to the new generations.
Lady Diana, the first Royal influencer
Journalist Alice Hare, author of an article on the subject published by the English newspaper Daily Mail, thus summarizes the return of Di-mania: «Step aside Kim Kardashian: Diana is the first, true influencer». The princess, aware of the importance of her image, he used it to strengthen his position in the collective imagination. And involved in numerous social campaigns, she gave a “voice” to those most in need. For all this, today she relies on a generation that admires her same principles.
A fashion icon, Lady Diana also influences today’s choices
Diana, as we know, managed to circumvent the problem of those at court who sewed her mouth shut by using a simple dress to publicly convey crucial messages. Just think of the now legendary “Revenge dress”, the dress of revenge, worn in 1994 in London to spite Carlo.
Princess Diana in the so-called “Revenge Dress”, worn in London in 1994 (Kika)
Thanks also to the recent one The Crownwho excellently recreated all her outfits, today Diana also manages to influence the fashion proposals of High Street Londoner. So much so as to inspire the comeback of numerous brands – from Warm & Beautifulto whom it is due the princess’s iconic sheep sweaterto Gottexwho recreated the famous swimsuit style Leopard worn by the princess.
Diana in Florence in 1985, wearing the Jacques Azagury dress recently sold in Hollywood for a record sum (Getty Images)
Lady D.’s success at the 2023 auctions
Those same items of clothing once worn by Diana are now protagonists of international auctions: a black velvet dress with skirt and blue stars, signed Azagury and worn by princess for the first time in Florencein 1985, was recently sold in Hollywood for the record price of over one million and 148 thousand dollars (11 times its original estimate).
The previous record had been set in January last year by a dress worn by the princess in 1991, also in velvet but signed Victor Edelstein, sold for around 600 thousand dollars.
2024 and Lady Diana’s return to the cover
For its January 2024 cover the English magazine Tatler he chose an unpublished photo of Diana, taken by David Bailey in 1988. There is no shortage of anecdotes about the episode. The princess – said the British photographer – had arrived with horrible hair due to excessive use of hairspray. And just before the shot, one of Bailey’s assistants shined a light on Diana’s head. She, magnanimous, laughed about it.
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