Even if you weren’t alive when Princess Diana married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, you probably know what her wedding dress looked like — that’s how iconic it is.
The dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, represented the height of ’80s fashion, all frilly puffed sleeves, 25-foot train, and a full silk taffeta skirt that overwhelmed the lithe and tall Princess of Wales.
So, when it was revealed that season four of the Netflix series “The Crown” would feature the late princess, fans were super excited about the chance of seeing a recreation of one of the biggest royal weddings ever. This weekend, we got a sneak peak and we are not disappointed.
On Saturday, the series’ Twitter account posted a first look at Princess Diana (played by Emma Corrin) in her wedding dress.
The tweet notes that the show’s costume designer, Amy Roberts, didn’t want to create an exact replica of the gown, but rather to capture “the same spirit” of the original.
David Emmanuel consulted on creating the look of the re-imagined gown, telling Hello magazine: “I’m a huge fan! I was called in to consult on that particular thing. I went into the studio and talked them through, saying, ‘Don’t forget to do this.’ That scene, I think, is going to be quite brief, because they’re concentrating on her and also to shoot there is a lot of money.
“I understand they kept it brief. I met all the seamstresses on it – about 15 or 20 – and they were very excited about it, I was telling them various tricks to keep the sleeves out. It was fun.”
Putting on the recreation of Diana’s dress was a special moment for Corrin, a 24-year-old British actress, who has just five other acting credits to her name.
“The Emanuels, who designed the original, gave us the patterns, and then it was made for me,” Corrin told Vanity Fair, adding that about 10 people had to help her put it on because of its size. “I walked out and everyone went completely silent. More than anything else I wear in the series, it’s so … It’s her.”
“The Crown” season 4, which debuts on Netflix November 15, will detail the lives of the Royal Family between 1979 and 1990, including the early years of Diana and Charles’ relationship (and their history with Camilla Parker-Bowles), and how the policies of Margaret Thatcher (played by Gillian Anderson) affect the citizens of the U.K.
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