L'HISTOIRE: Princess Diana's Dior Lingerie Slip Dress at the 1996 Met Gala

L’HISTOIRE explores fashion history moments you should know, from what actors wore on a red carpet to celebrities who made cameos on the runway. Some are unsung, and some are better known. Each is part of the fabric of today’s fashion world, be it barrier breakers or culture makers.

With the 2025 Met Gala just around the corner, there’s no better time to revisit some of the most unforgettable moments in the event’s history. Among them? Princess Diana’s iconic appearance in 1996—a moment that would unknowingly become both her first and last time attending fashion’s biggest night. Nearly three decades later, her look remains one of the most memorable in Met Gala history, blending royalty with ‘90s chic and sexiness in a way only she could.

Princess Diana had already begun cultivating a relationship with designer John Galliano, making it a natural choice to wear one of his creations for the 1996 Met Gala. At the time, Galliano had just taken over as creative director at Dior, and Diana opted for a look that was unexpected for a royal to wear: a navy blue lingerie-inspired slip gown.

The dress, made of rich satin and trimmed with delicate black lace along the straps and hem, embodied Galliano’s signature sensuality and edge. Though designed with a corseted bodice to give structure and form, Diana had other plans.

As Galliano later recalled in In Vogue: The 90s, a Hulu docuseries chronicling the decade’s fashion, the royal made a bold, last-minute decision. “Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. She’d ripped the corset out. She didn’t want to wear the corset.”

The result? A softer, more fluid silhouette that felt freer and more daring. “She felt so liberated. She’d torn the corset out. The dress was much more sensuous,” he added.

Princess Diana completed the look with bold jewelry to bring a more high-octane aesthetic to the lingerie gown. The handbag she carried would later be renamed the Lady Dior in her honor—a lasting tribute to a moment that remains one of the most iconic in Met Gala history.