Diana's 'Travolta' dress to go on show at Kensington Palace
The dress that Diana, Princess of Wales wore when she danced with John Travolta in 1985 will go on show at Kensington Palace from 30 July. Historic Royal Palaces bought the famed velvet gown at an auction for $290,000 (about £220,000) in December 2019.
The midnight blue dress was designed by Victor Edelstein and worn by the princess at a White House Gala. Later in the evening, she and Travolta danced around the room together and the consequent pictures made global headlines.
The display of the dress marks the reopening of Kensington Palace to visitors after it was closed in March due to the pandemic. Historic Royal Palaces curator Eleri Lynn says that the gown marks an important moment in Diana's fashion history.
“It's the point at which she moved away from the ruffles and cluttered frills of the early 1980s and developed a timeless and more elegant style for herself," Lynn tells us. "It marks the moment that she developed her signature style, and of course, the iconic images of her dancing with actor John Travolta were the perfect marriage of form and function, with the dress twirling beautifully as they danced, creating that memorable silhouette.”
Visitors will be able to see details of the gown that photographs don't capture, including the drapery of the bodice and the way that the velvet catches the highlights of the midnight blue. Lynn says that the princess adored the dress and wore it eight times in total.
“We’ve always considered this dress to be a significant item from the princess’s wardrobe, but recent research has shown it might very well have been her favourite formal gown," she says. "Interestingly, she wore it from 1985 right up to 1997 when she selected it for a formal portrait by Earl Snowdon. While the dress is perhaps most famous for its turn about the White House dance floor with Travolta, that same evening the princess danced with Tom Selleck, Clint Eastwood, and President Reagan.
"She also wore it to the London premiere of Wall Street where she was photographed with Michael Douglas, and she wore it again to a state dinner in West Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
For more information and to make a booking visit hrp.org.uk
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