Fashion’s Hall of Fame: Princess Diana’s “Revenge Dress”

By Alexus Mosley

In 1994, the night the world watched Prince Charles confess to infidelity on national television, Princess Diana chose fashion as her form of response.

That evening, at a Vanity Fair fundraiser at the Serpentine Gallery, she stepped out in what would become one of the most iconic dresses in history, a black, off-the-shoulder silk cocktail dress by Christina Stambolian, now known universally as The Revenge Dress. Princess Diana had reportedly planned to wear a Valentino gown that night but changed her mind at the last minute, opting for something bold, something unexpected — something that would tell the world she was no longer playing by royal rules. Paired with sheer stockings, black heels, a statement choker, and her radiant confidence, the look was pure power and poise.

The dress transcended fashion; it became a cultural moment. It symbolized liberation, self-assurance, and the rebirth of a woman the public thought they knew. Diana didn’t need a press statement. Instead, she let the dress do the talking. Decades later, the “Revenge Dress” remains a reference point for empowerment through style, a reminder that fashion can be both armor and declaration. It wasn’t just a dress; it was a royal reckoning.