Paul Costelloe: 'I dressed Diana when she was at her sweetest'

Fashion associated with the Princess of Wales still resonates today

Diana, Princess of Wales dons a Japanese Kimono during her first visit to the ancient city of Kyoto, central Japan. AFP via Getty Images

While researching this article I came across a photo of Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a check blazer, plain knee-length skirt, pearl earrings, and low pumps. It’s a typical 'Sloane Ranger' outfit — that popular look among the monied crowd of 1980s London which characterised Diana’s early style. My own Confirmation suit, made by my mother in 1988, mimicked Diana’s outfit exactly and was totally in contrast to the pastel, bat-winged, drop-waisted dresses of my classmates at the time.

Diana, Princess of Wales, attending the premiere performance of Lord Attenborough's latest film 'In Love And War' at London's Empire in Leicester Square. AFP via Getty Images