7 times Kristen Stewart channeled Princess Diana, from Chanel suits to revenge dressing

Princess Diana Kristen Stewart Spencer  - Getty Images
Princess Diana Kristen Stewart Spencer - Getty Images

Princess Diana’s story is finally getting the big Hollywood treatment it deserves (that’s if you don’t count the 2013 film, Diana, starring Naomi Watts).

Kristen Stewart, of Twilight franchise fame will play the Princess of Wales on the big screen in Spencer, the title of the upcoming film by renowned Chilean director Pablo Larraín. Stewart is the third actor to take on the famous royal role - meanwhile British actor Emma Corrin will debut her Diana in Netflix’s royal drama, The Crown, later this year.

This is not Larraín’s first time taking on the story of an iconic woman from history. He directed the 2016 biopic, Jackie, based on the former first lady, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, lead by Natalie Portman which earned her an Oscar nomination. Larraín’s films focus on specific moments in the protagonist's life. For Jackie it was the aftermath of her husband's assassination. Spencer will centre on Princess Diana’s realisation that her marriage is over.

In any biopic, the costume design is crucial to the overall aesthetic. Madeline Fontaine worked on Jackie, earning her a BAFTA win and an Academy Award nomination for her work. Fontaine was also the tastemaker behind the 2014 Yves Saint Laurent biopic and French historical TV drama, Versailles. The film production hasn't named a costume designer yet, but if anyone can provide us with a Diana-worthy fashion moment, it’s Fontaine.

The choice of Stewart to play one of the most famous women in the world has provoked mixed reaction. But perhaps Stewart is the right choice to play Lady Di. They both have encountered international fame, had troubled relationships with the press and their personal relationships followed in minute detail by tabloids, all at a very young age. Their distinct image has turned them into mega-stars and muses to the fashion world.

While you may not believe the two women would have much in common style-wise, there are, in fact, plenty of crossovers...

Fashion muses

princess diana chanel kristen stewart spencer fashion - Getty Images
princess diana chanel kristen stewart spencer fashion - Getty Images

Princess Diana and Stewart may not be blood relations, but they are sisters through the tweed threads of Chanel. A fashion house favoured by both. Diana often wore colourful boxy silhouettes from the brand that Stewart joined as an ambassador in 2013, earning her campaigns and front row seats at shows. However, Diana stopped wearing Chanel altogether in the 90s when she found out that Prince Charles would carry cufflinks with the double C logo that would stand for Camilla and Charles. She instead forged a friendship with Gianni Versace, who, in 1995 he dedicated his Conservative Chic collection to Diana.

Metallics are a girl's best friend

gold dress princess diana kristen stewart - Getty Images
gold dress princess diana kristen stewart - Getty Images

In 1985 to the A View to Kill premiere, Princess Diana wore a lamé fan-pleated Bruce Oldfield dress that changed colours from silver to gold by the touch of a light. This forever changed the red carpet game for A-listers — if you don’t have an Oscar, dress like one instead. Stewart on the last leg of the Twilight promotional tours went for a gold sequin thigh-split dress from Lebanese designer, Elie Saab to the German premiere of Breaking Dawn: Part 2. Metallics made a big return to the runways in spring/summer 2020, with Balenciaga’s aluminum foil ball gowns to Dior’s subtle metallic sheens.

Revenge dressing

Christina Stambolian Kristen Stewart Princess Diana of Wales Fashion Stella McCartney met gala ball - Getty Images
Christina Stambolian Kristen Stewart Princess Diana of Wales Fashion Stella McCartney met gala ball - Getty Images

Princess Diana set the template for revenge dressing on the night of June 29th 1994 when she donned a Christina Stambolian LBD on the evening that Prince Charles confessed to infidelity. It's a lesson which Stewart took cues from in 2013; a month after her breakup from Twilight co-star, Robert Pattinson, Stewart attended the  Met Gala solo in a red silk jumpsuit with lace panels symmetrical on the front and back from Stella McCartney with spiked heels. Revenge is a dish best served papped.

Princess off-duty

Princess Diana Casual Cool Kristen Stewart - Getty Images / Ian Jones Retained
Princess Diana Casual Cool Kristen Stewart - Getty Images / Ian Jones Retained

Post divorce Diana put POD (princess off-duty) on the fashion map. She would often carry a Gucci bamboo-handle bag or leather tote with her cycling shorts and oversized sweaters. POD is the equivalent of the Hollywood incognito look, where celebrities wear ‘normal’ clothes to go unnoticed. Stewart does this best by throwing on blue jeans, a hoodie and her favourite, a pair of trainers, which she has even worn on red carpets.

All is fair in Vanity Fair

september issue princess diana vanity fair kristen stewart - Conde Nast / Vanity Fair
september issue princess diana vanity fair kristen stewart - Conde Nast / Vanity Fair

The high society girls go to Tatler, A-listers to Vogue and the powerful and fashionable to Vanity Fair. Princess Diana’s last cover shoot was for the latter with now-shamed fashion photographer Mario Testino, showcasing her favourite fashion pieces that were going to auction in 1997. The issue came out a month before her death in August and now remains a collectors item. Stewart landed two VF covers, one at the height of her Twilight fame and the other last year to promote another blockbuster-ish movie, Charlie’s Angels. It is said that Stewart is as hard to pin down for a magazine cover as any royal. She only does one or two major glossy publications a year.

The rebel lens

princess diana kristen stewart ray-ban - Getty Images
princess diana kristen stewart ray-ban - Getty Images

Princess Diana's Ray-Ban’s Wayfarers were an essential in her '90s wardrobe. The mid-century classic sunglasses are the uniform of the Hollywood cool pack: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn - and Stewart. They combine rebel cool with minimal chic.

Icy blondes

Princess Diana and Kristen Stewart blonde hair bleach - Getty Images
Princess Diana and Kristen Stewart blonde hair bleach - Getty Images

The moment Princess Diana and Stewart stopped being any other royal or A-lister is when they ditched their old hairstyles. Lady Di made the transition from soft waves to glossy blonde highlights that meant business. Stewart’s hair has become her USP, we recognise it for its nonchalance, but at the same time, it has moved on from woke-up-like-this ease to cool rock'n'roll with icy highlights. Both women are bound to go down in hairstory.

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