Diana, Style Icon

The full glare of publicity hit Lady Diana Spencer when her match with Prince Charles was only a rumor. Her journey from fresh-faced girl to royal princess to jet-set queen was chronicled minutely -- not least because of her beauty and fashion sense. The couple traveled to their first official engagement March 9, 1981, in London. Keep clicking for more on Diana's style.

Her Fashion Evolution

Prince Charles And Lady Diana — AP Photo

From the first, Diana's fashion choices were subjected to intense scrutiny. Her wedding gown, in elaborately-ruffled ivory silk taffeta by young designers David and Elizabeth Emmanuel, was a triumph or a disaster, depending on the critic. Here, Prince Charles kisses the hand of his bride on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, July 29, 1981.

Her Fashion Evolution

Despite early rumors of storm clouds over her marriage, the beautiful young princess drew admiring attention around the world. Here, Diana glances at her husband, Prince Charles, as he speaks at the National Gallery of Art in Washington on Nov. 10, 1985.

Her Fashion Evolution

During her marriage, Diana walked a fine line between the demands of the proudly dowdy British royal family and the stylish younger British public that most adored her. Here, the Prince and Princess of Wales appear at the Royal Ascot races near London on June 20, 1990.

Her Fashion Evolution

Like the Queen, Diana was required to pull out an infinite number of gowns for formal occasions. At left, she wears a diamond tiara and a pearl-studded high-collared gown that she reportedly called her "Elvis dress." The event was the opening of a Hong Kong cultural center on Nov. 8, 1989.

Her Fashion Evolution

The "Elvis dress" and many other gowns worn by Diana on formal public occasions were auctioned off for charity during her lifetime. At left, an employee of the London auction house Cooper Owen adjusts a duplicate of her wedding dress, worn by Diana only for fittings, that was auctioned in December 2005.

Her Fashion Evolution

After her split from Prince Charles, Diana's fashion choices got younger, sexier and trendier. Here, she wears a strapless black chiffon dress by Christina Stamboulian to a 1996 party at the Serpentine Gallery in London.

Her Fashion Evolution

Post-divorce, Diana wore higher heels. At 5 feet 10 inches, she was about the same height as her husband. At left, the Princess arrives at London's Royal Albert Hall for a gala performance of Swan Lake on June 3, 1997. She remained a patron of English National Ballet and five other charities after the split.

Her Fashion Evolution

Diana's style choices were followed so avidly that a slight change in her hair, like this slicked-back style, caused a storm of front-page headlines back home in Britain. The event was an awards gala of the Council of Fashion Designers of America at New York's Lincoln Center on Jan. 30, 1995.

Her Fashion Evolution

Princess Diana arrives at a benefit for breast cancer research in Washington on Sept. 24, 1996.

Her Fashion Evolution

Princess Diana dances with the former premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 31, 1996.