Hague museum fashion exhibit to include garments worn by Princess Diana

The Kunstmuseum in The Hague will soon be showing garments that belonged to Diana, the legendary first wife of the current British King Charles. It involves a black Karl Lagerfeld/Chanel jacket and a glittery cocktail dress designed by Catherine Walker.

The garments are part of the Royals & Rebels - British Fashion exhibition, which opens to the public on Saturday, September 9. The exhibition also includes a tribute to designer Vivienne Westwood, who died last year. The showpiece of this part is the wedding dress that Westwood made for Carrie Bradshaw in the first Sex and the City film (2008) and which recently appeared in the sequel And just like that… (2023).

The Kunstmuseum has a large clothing collection and has already made several high-profile fashion exhibitions, like last winter with the work of Cristóbal Balenciaga. Royals & Rebels will feature work by, among others, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Liberty’s, the recently deceased Mary Quant, Paul Smith, and Richard Quin, but also by young talents like Bora Aksu and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy.

“The British left their mark on fashion history. British school uniforms, the tartan, clothing from the British Royal Family, and hats for Ascot from Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. The rebels of Swinging London, punks, and skinheads also had an influence on the fashion image in England,” said the museum.

In addition to being a fashion icon, Diana was “also a rebel who used fashion to make a statement,” said the museum about the “people’s princess” who died 26 years ago this week in Paris.

“An example that turned out to be iconic in retrospect was the Warm & Wonderful sweater from the early 1980s. Against the red background with rows of white sheep, one black sheep stands out. Given the struggles of the princess, the message speaks for itself.” The museum has such a sweater in its collection, and it will, of course, also be on display. The original copy will be auctioned this fall.