Silver Shot Cerulean Ruffle Gown

One of Diana's early princess gowns, this sky blue organza gown shot with silver and satin threads in an elongated check pattern was very well known. It's one of Bruce Oldfield's huge contributions to Diana's growing popularity with fans in the first years of her marriage as it ticks the princessy boxes of flattering colour of blue (sky or cerulean blue), flattering style (column) , fabulous fabric (organza or possibly silk chiffon threaded through with silver and satin threads), beautiful design incorporating tiers and layers of graduating ruffles falling off the shoulders from a clean, jewel neckline and cinched at the waist with a silver cummerbund-type girdle belt as was worn in the early to mid-1980s.

Bruce Oldfield bragged to a newspaper once that he "gave Diana her glamour and [the now Duchess of Cornwall] her confidence."  Considering that Diana looked glamourous in anything ranging from muddy Wellington boots during a country shoot to shorts and a tank t-shirt on a St Tropez dock, I think he was taking a little more than his share of the credit. Won't comment on his other achievement.

This gown was worn with and without the tiara, the Queen's Family Order, a diamond fringe necklace borrowed from the Queen circa 1983. Unlike others of Oldfield's confections from this time, it concealed Diana's increasing thinness as her eating disorder began to show in her thin arms, shoulders and prominent collar bones.

It's not contemporary to the FM People's Princess, but I do adore the gown and I commissioned Doll Fashions by Alana to convert a scarf I purchased years ago for this purpose after I noticed one made by another collector. (See below far left)