The new £365 Diana ‘revenge jumper’ shows the Princess still embodies the posh-punk aesthetic
It’s a cultural moment which took place almost 30 years ago, and yet Princess Diana in her “revenge dress” still resonates across the generations.
Indeed Friday marks the launch of a new “revenge jumper”, targeted at an age demographic which includes people in their 20s who weren’t even born when the Princess sashayed into the Serpentine Gallery’s summer party in the knockout Christina Stambolian LBD just as her husband was confessing to infidelity in an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby broadcast on ITV in June 1994.
The £365 design has been created by Knitwrth, a brand which began selling via its Instagram account and is loved by stars who chime with millennials and Gen Z alike including supermodel Gigi Hadid, actress Emily Ratajkowski, Spanish singer Rosalía, and South Korean singer/DJ/songwriter Peggy Gou. Its collection includes pieces emblazoned with the images of cultural icons ranging from Eminem and Forrest Gump to Madonna and Kate Moss.
The label has created three new designs in collaboration with streetwear bible Highsnobiety and Selfridges as part of the “Not in London” pop-up shop and event series, planned to coincide with London Fashion Week. Besides the image of Diana in her off-shoulder dress and pearl and sapphire choker, the mini collection includes jumpers featuring a young David and Victoria Beckham and a striking black and white portrait of Sade. It will be sold alongside other pieces from brands including Barbour and perhaps worn by customers attending events including rooftop birdwatching or a rave in Shoreditch.
The Diana jumper, available to buy online, via the Highsnobiety app and in Selfridges, is the latest example of Diana’s power as a figure who embodies a sense of cool which transcends the obsession (and division) she inspired in her lifetime, a status epitomised by the reception to the revenge dress. While The Sun featured Diana on the front page with the headline: “The thrilla he left to woo Camilla”, The Telegraph’s analysis suggested that Diana “could have watched a video, played bridge or simply washed her hair and curled up in bed” instead of facing the cameras.
“Diana was part of the Royal family but was still her own person and did her own thing,” observes David Fischer, founder of Highsnobiety. “She was a royal, but was still seen as approachable and part of the people. She embodies the posh/punk aesthetic of our Not in London programming and remains an important cultural icon still today.”
Demand for all things Diana is still high; last week, a copy of the revenge dress created for Elizabeth Debicki to wear when she played Diana in The Crown sold for £12,800 at Bonhams. The Princess’s style tropes are endlessly emulated by Gen Z on Instagram and TikTok, whether they’re sporting cycling shorts and sweatshirts in homage to her off-duty gym looks or tucking their jeans into cowboy boots and adding a baseball cap to reimagine one of her most famous polo outfits.
“Highsnobiety’s audience is all about authenticity and people who inspire them, mostly by having paved their own ways in unique and unprecedented ways,” says Fischer of the reason he believes Diana remains a cultural touchstone with his demographic. “While all of the depicted personalities have been around for some time, they’re still going to be relevant tomorrow, which makes them icons for our community and beyond.”
As for what Diana herself would have thought of a jumper emblazoned with her face, she may have enjoyed the irony given how she made statement, lighthearted knits a cornerstone of her casual wardrobe.
Most famous was her black sheep jumper which she wore on two occasions, in 1981 and 1983. The 1981 version (which she returned to the brand Warm & Wonderful because it had a hole in it) was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for a record-breaking $1.1 million last September.
Another favourite, which she reserved for her private wardrobe, was a Gyles & George knit emblazoned with the slogan “I’m a Luxury… Few Can Afford”.“Diana really could wear a jumper brilliantly. She had a great sense of humour, she laughed a lot,” Gyles Brandreth, one half of the duo behind the label (the other was artist George Hostler) told me in 2020 when his design was revived by American label Rowing Blazers. “The ‘I’m a Luxury Few Can Afford’ jumper was both mine and Diana’s favourite. It’s tongue in cheek. If you put that on, it says something about you. You stand out from the crowd,” he continued.
Anyone who gets their hands on one of Knitwrth’s limited edition jumpers all these years later will do exactly the same.
