
Photo Credit: Frederic Batier
How do you nail the style of one of the world’s most beloved fashion figures?
That was the challenge facing Jacqueline Durran (an Oscar winning costume designer, best known for her work on 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, but also Atonement, Little Women) with the highly anticipated film Spencer, a Pablo Larraín–directed drama that follows Princess Diana during three defining days at Sandringham, as she contemplates ending her marriage to Prince Charles.
Durran wanted to pay homage to the “essence” of Diana’s fashion, rather than precisely re-create the late Princess of Wales’s most recognizable ensembles (though a version of her iconic David and Elizabeth Emanuel wedding dress does make an appearance, albeit in a different scenario than atop the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral). Doing so meant embracing vivid tartan prints and vibrant-hued two-piece suits, chunky pearl necklaces and eye-catching outerwear.
“[Diana’s style was] actually