I ♥ Your Style: Princess Diana, part 4

Chances are you've all seen these photos many times, as have I. But in the context of looking at Diana's style over her lifetime, they are a very important conclusion. The way I see it, these photos, taken just 5 months before she passed away, were a hint of what we would have seen next in Diana's life: a happier, independent and grown up woman who was finally free from the life that so rigidly defined her. It's as if in the photos from the decade before she was playing a role, and in these pictures she is finally able to just be herself. She never looked more beautiful.

I ♥ Your Style: Princess Diana, part 3

So the third significant phase of Diana's fashion legacy is definitely questionable to some. But this is how I see it: Everyone has a very personal relationship to personal style. We all have our own tastes, experiences, physical features, ambitions and life circumstances that heavily impact the way we present ourselves to the world. Would I ever want to dress the way Princess Diana did in the 80's. NO WAY!! Do I think she created a signature look that worked for her life as a princess and entertained the rest of us all at once. YES! Sometimes she went over the top (the rhinestone headband), sometimes she got stuck in a theme (polka dots), and sometimes she overcommitted to the concept of a uniform (full military regalia), but you could never accuse her of being boring or safe. She clearly had a lot of enthusiasm for clothes and she obviously enjoyed the process of getting dressed. And finally, you just can't dress like she did without being confident in what you are doing. If all that doesn't equal personal style, I don't know what does.

P.S. I couldn't help but present these pictures in categories. They were too clear cut to ignore!

POLKA DOTS

 TWO TONE

 MILITARY

 TOMBOY

 ECCENTRIC ACCESSORIES