The Lady Di Look Book: What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us Through Her Clothes

by Eloise Moran

Through a rich and beautiful series of images, British fashion journalist Eloise Moran decodes Princess Diana’s outfits in this smart visual psychobiography of an icon.

From the pink gingham pants and pastel-yellow overalls of a sacrificial lamb, to the sexy Versace revenge dresses, power suits, and bicycle shorts of a free woman, British fashion journalist Eloise Moran has studied thousands of pictures of Princess Diana. She soon discovered that behind each outfit lay a carefully crafted What Lady Di couldn’t express verbally, she expressed through her clothes.

Diana’s most show-stopping―and poignant―outfits are all here in The Lady Di Look Book , incisively decoded. Moran sees things no one has Why, for example, did Diana have a rotating collection of message sweatshirts? Was she mad for plaid, or did the tartan have a deeper meaning? What about her love of costume jewelry on top of the tiaras and oval sapphire engagement ring? With new interviews from some of the people who dressed Diana, Moran’s book is both a record of what Diana wore and why she wore it―and why we are still obsessed with Lady Di.

From 1980s Sloane Ranger cottagecore Diana, to athleisure and Dynasty Di Diana, The Lady Di Look Book is both compulsively delightful and a full biography of the world’s most beloved royal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion, History, Royalty, Photography, Fashion History, Memoir

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2022

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s common now to describe Diana as strong and powerful and determined, and eventually that became more true toward the end of her life, but that’s not how Diana described her own story. Literally, in her own words, she described herself as naive and trusting (like a fairytale princess). She trusted her husband and lover (Hewitt) not to betray her, but they both did; she trusted the royal family and palace machinery to watch out for her, but they only protected the heir; and finally, she trusted her playboy boyfriend to protect and care for her and he failed catastrophically.

So it’s jarring to read things like, “Diana wrote the book on manipulating the men in her life…” She was not a master manipulator. Her attempts to manipulate Charles into abandoning Camilla or Hasnat into marrying her didn’t work. She was not a tough, take-no-prisoners, self-confident badass. She was an empathetic, trusting, self-doubting woman who suffered in silence until she couldn’t take it any more and finally broke away. This “warrior princess” description might be appealing to a modern audience but it’s not accurate and it’s not how Diana described herself.

I also found it unpleasant to keep reading revenge, revenge, revenge, and f*** you, f*** you, f*** you. There’s an old expression, “When you set out on a journey of revenge, first dig two graves.” Diana herself eventually gave up on trying to get revenge on Charles. Revenge isn’t “transportive,” as the book says; it’s destructive, and it’s not “critical to healing.” The desire for revenge impedes healing because it nurtures anger.

The author’s theme of resentment and revenge comes through very questionably at times. There’s a photo of Diana standing near Charles, whose broken arm is in a cast after a polo accident. “One simply can’t help but wonder if she wishes she’d put him in that cast herself!” the text says. I don’t think joking about a woman injuring her husband is any funnier than joking about a man injuring his wife.

As far as “what Diana was trying to tell us through her clothes,” the focus is all on her personal life. (It does briefly cover the suits, briefcases, and plain clothing she chose in her final year.) I think someone should write a book about the sartorial choices Diana made specifically for her official appearances, especially abroad. I’m thinking of the red polka-dot dress she wore in Japan, the yellow-and-black coat she wore in Germany, the falcon-embroidered gown she wore in Saudi Arabia, or the Chanel she wore in France. Those choices illustrate the care Diana took in her messaging. None of that is in this book.

To summarize, this is a book with flippant text and a lot of photos of a beautiful and memorable woman. If you’re interested in Diana’s wardrobe choices, I recommend “Dressing Diana” by Tim Graham. It’s full of gorgeous photos without the angry text.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could look at pictures of Princess Diana every day but the author, who was going through a divorce, just wanted to act as though every single piece of clothing Diana wore was a revenge dress. Her language was nasty and all I felt was hate spewing from the pages for every man who ever walked the earth. I stopped reading what she said and just looked at the pictures but then even her titles of chapters were uncalled for. No thank you.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Present day. Eloise Morgan’s The Lady Di Look Book: What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us through Her Clothes covers Princess Diana’s ‘look’ from “Sacrificial Lamb to Revenge Queen”. As one who had gone through a divorce which was finally completed in June 1980, I watched ‘Prince Charles finds a bride’ and hoped that history (mine) was not going to repeat itself with this very young protected Lady and a prince a decade plus older than she. During an interview after Lady Diana Spencer and HRH Prince Charles’ engagement had been announced, the interviewer asked the couple something similar to ‘Are you in love?’. Lady Diana’s immediate answer was “Of course.” Prince Charles’ infamous response while attempting to laugh “ Whatever in love means.”, I knew and I believe Diana knew that the engagement and subsequent marriage were horrible mistakes. The author adeptly follows Diana from teenager to wife to mother to woman by examining her wardrobe. She does a super job especially for one who did not ‘know’ Diana. I watched Diana as she was forced from stage to stage. God, it was heartbreaking! Except for when she had her ‘boys’, the first genuine smile I saw on Dians’s face was when she wore the black ‘revenge dress’. You go, Girl! I commend the author for her research and stick-toitiveness! The photography is amazing. Some of the photos are new even to me. The Diana-effect is alive and well thanks to this author and, of course, Diana! 4.5 stars.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exquisite full page images. Really clever color and design choices. Everything feels thoughtfully curated to help define the many different decades and moods and moments of one of the most iconic and influential British royals.

But the text is just a bit too silly or cliche at points. Like a lot of her captions won't stand the test of time because they're so specifically from the 2010s.

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Diana is one of the most famous women in my living memory and her legacy continues today, more than a quarter of a century after her death. There is a revival in Lady Diana inspired fashion choices and I find it interesting that many of the women following the trend were born after she died in 1997. Perhaps Princess Diana is to this generation what Marilyn Monroe is to me, a captivating icon of a not too distant era. Princess Diana's public and private life were scrutinised in life and continue to be analysed after death and yet a fresh perspective via her wardrobe choices and fashion statements was too appealing to resist.

Eloise Moran is a fashion journalist and her Instagram account @ladydirevengelooks is so successful, we are now lucky enough to view her work in this collection, The Lady Di Look Book - What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us Through Her Clothes.

Beautifully presented in a wonderful hardcover, this collection showcases many styles and fashion choices as Moran documents Diana's life with her accompanying essays. As the author admits, Moran was only 5 years old when Princess Diana died in 1997 and came to look up to her as a fashion icon much later, after experiencing her own breakup. I think there's a lot of theorising and projecting going on by the author - and the rest of the world - when it comes to imagining what Lady Diana was thinking or feeling in these photographs but aren't we all guilty of that? I know I am.

This book has been described as a 'smart visual psychobiography' and I'm not embarrassed to admit I didn't know what this was. Apparently a psychobiography is a biography that aims to understand an historically significant individual through the use of psychological theory and research. I wonder if The Lady Di Look Book is my first psychobiography. I think it'd be fun to find out so I'll need to go back through my reading list. In the meantime, if you know any you think I might like, please recommend them in the comments section.

If you enjoyed this review, you might also enjoy my review of Our Rainbow Queen - A Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and Her Colourful Wardrobe by Sali Hughes. It seems I have developed an interest in the fashion of the Royal family and I'd love Eloise Moran - or Sali Hughes for that matter - to produce a book about the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton.

If you're an anglophile, photographer, fashion guru, influencer or history lover (wow, this book appeals to many different audiences) then I highly recommend this.

Thanks to the publisher, you can also Look Inside before deciding to read this for yourself. You can find the link in my review.

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge Diana fan - and a huge fashion fan, this book is everything to me. Amazing photographs, and in depth view of Diana’s fashion and best “revenge” looks! I thought I saw every photo of Diana ever but this actually has some I’ve never seen!! Highly recommend if you’re a Diana fan, Royal family fan, or even just a fashion history fan!! 💖🥰

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love history at different angles including fashion!

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love fashion, and if you love history, this is the book for you! Follow along with Diana’s fashion from the 80’s and 90’s and how calculated and thought out they all were! Warning: will make you want to revamp your wardrobe.

[Heather McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite pictorial biography of Lady Diana Spencer's iconic looks (from early Royal courtship, to reclaiming her life as a thriving single woman). I told myself I was there for the photographs, but the well-woven narrative (essays) in between drew me in and I read the book from cover to cover. Taken from us far too soon, her memory lives on forever, and no one can ever take that away.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is full of many Diana facts and lots of beautiful photos of her outfits through the years. Even though her style changed through the decades, she always looked spectacular. I’m still so sad that she died so young.

[Emily Liebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already knew a lot about Diana, but WOW was this a fun read. I love all of the photos. Forever obsessed with the fashion lens of her life.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Impeccable graphic design, great photo selection and arrangement, but the writing is so mean-spirited

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would say look at the pictures and captions but don't bother reading the rest of the text.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I recognize that when I read these fashion books about the royals that I'm not typically going to find anything of substance but the commentary in this book was just so so annoying.

[Fastidious Kingdoms · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is visually stunning, and the Kindle version doesn’t do that aspect justice. The hardcover’s pages pop with colors, whether it’s the layout of the page or the outfits themselves. The Kindle version, by contrast, is a sea of white space with the occasional picture tumbleweeding by.

That said, the narrative in either format is lacking. First, the text begins as a sort-of biography of Diana’s clothes but morphs into the Instagram clickbait that made the author quasifamous (Di’s Revenge Look [with eight or so criteria]! Di’s Revenge Gym Look [5ish items]! Di’s High Colonic Revenge Look! Di’s Travel Revenge Look!).

This would be forgivable if not for the glaring omissions. For example, after spending paragraphs saying that each of Diana’s outfits were her autobiography, the author then refuses to share pictures of Diana in “giant puritan collars over tunics” “because they haven’t stood the test of time.” Moran continues, “There was no way to describe some of Diana’s early ‘on-duty’ looks as anything except utterly heinous—think royal-themed cosplay, but from the Crusades era. Robin Hood-esque, feather-adorned hats and terrifying tartans would have you thinking Camilla paid off Diana’s stylist for some serious sartorial sabotage.” Hideous or no, those poorly aged outfits are still part of Diana’s autobiography and should be included.

Let’s also consider “autobiography.” Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright wrote Read My Pins, a fascinating look at her life in politics reflected in the jewelry she wore at key events. The closest thing Diana left to a sartorial autobiography is the Christie’s catalogue of her charity dress auction in 1997, yet Moran never alludes to it, let alone quotes from it.

A more egregious sin is Moran’s selective vision: she claims, for example, that Diana in the early 80s “opted for pastels and conservative plaids,” even though the second item Moran examines in the entire book is Diana’s hot pink llama sweater. Sadly, this trend continues throughout the book. She calls Diana’s decision to wear the Spencer tiara in 1983 “poignant,” as if that were the only time Diana chose to wear that headpiece over the Windsor Knot tiara. Moran also claims that the ivory outfit Diana wore the day her divorce was finalized symbolized her liberation, a conclusion belied by Charles’ sapphire engagement ring still gracing her finger.

The book’s greatest sin is Moran’s endless contortions to attach meaning to an outfit. When analyzing Diana’s black sheep sweater, she notes, “because the Spencers were the UK’s oldest sheep farming family, the black sheep sweater Diana wore ‘certainly…reflects not just her inward thoughts about her new family and foray into public life, but memories of rejection from her childhood and teenage years.’” Or, the sweater could just be a sweater.

Commenting on a 1985 white outfit adorned with a tuxedo tie, Moran notes, “Looking back, this suffragette white skirt set…and black bow tie strikes a more symbolic meaning—she’s the outcast, claustrophobically sandwiches between the Prince and the ‘men in grey.’” Or it could just be an outfit.

Referring to Diana’s Revenge Dress, worn the night Charles publicly humiliated her on national TV, Moran notes, “When Diana bravely stepped out of the car, wearing her little black [revenge] dress, she bacame the shining hero the country was pining for.” In addition, “the mini-train if her dress fluttered symbolically, standing in contrast to the twenty-five foot train of her wedding dress.“ Please note that the Stambouli dress was her second choice that night; Diana certainly didn’t choose to wear it because it called to mind the train of her wedding dress. She wore it because Versace blabbed that she was going to wear their dress that night.

A fixation with the Firm’s proscription against wearing black runs rampant through this book. Granted, Diana was told this at her first formal evening event, when she wore a black strapless gown. However, Moran belabors the point to no end. I find it a bit hard to ascribe a black and white suit Diana wore to Australia as a revelation of her mindset: “wearing black was rebellious, as it was deemed strictly for mourning, while white, historically, symbolizes women’s liberation. The blending of the two implied she was stuck somewhere in between.” Or it could just be a suit.

In fact, for all of Moran’s bloviating about the tabu of black clothing, she doesn’t seem to recognize she’s featured dozens of photos in her own book of Diana, starting in the 80s, in black! To movie premieres, to theatre outings, to formal dinners. Clearly, the taboo mainly exists in the author’s mind.

There are minor sins, as well. She inexplicably repeatedly refers to Diana as “duchess” throughout the first 25% of the book. I realize “duchess” as a childhood nickname, but it’s not a title she ever went by as an adult. Moran also refers to the Panorama interview as the first time the public had heard her side of the story. Andrew Morton, author of Diana: Her Own Story, would like a word. Moran mentions Diana’s morning sickness on a trip to Australia, but Diana was never pregnant on a trip to Australia. She also comments on an outfit Diana wore during Harry’s pregnancy, chosen to prevent the press to see her baby bump. Diana wore the outfit in question two weeks after announcing her two-month pregnancy. There was no bump to hide.

Finally, I have to note the jarring narrative commentary. There is a fine line between irreverent and immature, and Moran missed it by a mile. In addition to pointless asides such as “jeez, bitter much?” and “all men are bastards,” she calls Camilla being pelted with dinner rolls in public in 1994 “justice.” A running joke about Camilla and chicken Kiev (revisited several tomes) is simply not funny.

The anti-Camilla narrative is more unsettling when you realize the author was five when Diana died and therefore has no memory of the War of the Waleses. Come to think of it, if Moran had watched the soap opera unfold in the 80s, she wouldn’t have referred to their 1992 South Korea trip as the *beginning* of the War of the Waleses. In any event, how can she be so vitriolic about Camilla at this late date when she wasn’t even around for the scandal itself?

In case no other reviewers have questioned it, why does Moran include mini layouts of Fergie and Anne?

If you would like a thoughtful examination of Diana’s wardrobe instead of clickbait, please read something such as Diana: The Secrets of Her Style or Dressing Diana.

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although it is aesthetically pleasing along with beautiful HD photos, this book is very misleading and has many errors.

The author claims to present the messages that Princess Diana was trying to tell through her clothes, so you expect an unbiased book on Diana’s clothing based on the title. But not only does the author admit to omitting several outfits from the book (cause in her opinion they didn’t age well despite her description of Diana’s entire wardrobe as her “autobiography”), these so-called meanings are all personal views with very woke, mean spirited comments for the entirety of the book. An example of this ridiculousness is on page 115 which says Diana wore a veiled headband as a protective shield from the insults of Charles’ camp of supporters. It’s just a headband.

The author went through her own breakup which explains the mean spirited tone of the book as she clearly projects that on Diana as a reliability factor. I’m not denying her pain, but regardless it is wrongly distasteful to present Diana as though she actually made ALL her clothes about ‘revenge revenge revenge’ when we know that isn’t the case. I really wanted to put down the book and couldn’t finishing reading it for months due to the anti-male and ultra wokeness of the author. It was hard to finish this book. The obvious trend of the author’s ideology is to exact revenge, simple as that. She said so herself that revenge is critical to healing on page 155.

The author, Eloise, is only quasi-famous for her Diana Instagram account (@ladydirevengelooks) and has no qualifications as a historian of any sort, her ignorance is present throughout the book for the following reasons:

The first glaring error throughout the book is that Princess Diana is referred to as the “Duchess” by the author. Who calls Diana a Duchess? Despite it being a childhood nickname, Diana was NEVER called "Duchess Diana" by anyone while she was a Royal during her lifetime. Everyone called her PRINCESS not DUCHESS. Even after her death, we still refer to Diana as Princess because her title is Princess of Wales.

Secondly, although this book claims to be about Princess Diana’s clothing, there are two sections of the book dedicated entirely to Sarah Ferguson and Princess Anne. WHY? This book is the very definition of clickbait. I bought the book to read about Diana because the title and publicity says it was, I didn't buy it to read about Fergie or Anne.

Diana’s famous wedding dress is not even included in the book. A glaring omission of such an iconic look that you can’t help but wonder why.

On page 91, she says Diana was sick with morning sickness during her trip to Australia. Diana was NEVER pregnant during her Australia visit, she famously brought baby William with her on that trip! I don't understand why this error went unnoticed.

On page 104 & 106, she says Diana’s alleged firing of staff from a newspaper article in 1985 was the same as Meghan Markle, who was also accused for bullying her staff, that have come out BY NAME making this claim and are mostly WOMAN (except Jason Knauf). This even made the Palace conduct an investigation, something they never did with Diana and it shows how serious and different this situation is. Straight away the author assumes this is misogynistic because the media is mostly headed by men (according to her) who love to portray women this way to get money from such a narrative. With everything that has come out about Meghan: from her bullying staff, ghosting her own blood family, participating in the book Finding Freedom, and telling countless lies that have been debunked FROM HER OWN EX FRIENDS AND FAMILY, it doesn’t speak well of the author’s cognitive ability. Just because you are a woman doesn’t mean you cannot be a monster, some females are toxic narcissistic manipulators and Meghan has proven herself to be one. There is zero comparison between Diana and Meghan if you dig into the latter’s history. Ultimately this is where the toxic woke mentality brings you to if you refuse to face the facts.

On page 202, she called Diana and Charles’s 1992 South Korea trip as the beginning of the War of the Waleses. This is an obvious error as the War of the Waleses begun far earlier than that. For someone who claims to love Diana, the author certainly doesn’t know anything about royal history.

To sum it up, the book was a complete waste of money due to clickbait and has poor research. I felt cheated into buying a book with no insightful depth but only wokeness. No one has called her out at all...?

Im wanting to give it away as something like this is not worth sitting on anyone’s shelves, because the author doesn’t know what she is talking about. There are far better books on Diana’s outfits than this woke revenge garbage.

Revenge is basically the author’s moral for the readers. If we all followed that line of thought, war will never end. I'm very sure Diana wouldn't agree with this kind of mentality.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed looking through all the pictures of Lady Di’s outfits. I have mixed feelings about the prose—it seemed much angrier and revenge-oriented than I ever believed Diana to be. However, I decided to find the prose interesting, because it was an interpretation of Diana by a person who had never been alive when she was. This author only experienced Diana in hindsight, through “old” pictures. So I decided to appreciate the prose in this way (how a younger generation might interpret Diana), even though it didn’t strike me as a particularly accurate interpretation of Diana’s spirit.
However, I was really here to look at all the pictures, and they did not disappoint.

[Lisa Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the compilation of Diana fashion over the years and the statements she may have been making in what she chose to wear. I thought the author had an inconsistent voice, and the themes she chose were not used in a consistent manner throughout the book. I also thought that some better pictures could have been selected, dated more consistently, and presented in a more logical manner. I was bothered by missing dates, references to backs of dresses that were not shown, and the scattered presentation.

[Alexandria]

NR. | Simple yet informed mostly visual guidebook to Diana’s eras of fashion and the meaning behind them all, with relevant quotes and backstory during each particular fashion era. Easily approachable for the lay reader and informed enthusiast alike. I enjoyed how the author also took the stance of showing her feminism, rather than an objective dissection of women’s fashion.

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book as a lifelong Diana was such a treat! Eloise's care and thoughtfulness while writing about such an iconic woman comes through on every page. I am ready for a new fall wardrobe and a new outlook on life!

[Amy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning images of course and a nice book to flick through, though I didn't enjoy the text that much when reading cover to cover. It seems what works as a snappy Instagram caption doesn't quite translate to pages of writing.

Established facts are given amongst an abridged timeline of Diana's life, but also a lot of the author's own speculation and lightweight quips which actually didn't add very much. I can see the book is trying to set itself apart from more studious accounts of Diana's fashion sense and pitching itself very much at the younger generations discovering Diana's cultural impact for the first time. I personally could have done without the daft comments about imagining Charles's head when playing tennis etc though. It all got a bit cringey.

But I did enjoy it overall and there were plenty of lesser-seen photos among the classic images which made it a worthwhile experience.

[Melissa Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed going through many of Princess Diana’s signature looks and phases along with what she was going through personally in each section. Beautifully laid out and fast paced.

I’m all for women being treated fairly; with decency and respect, I however am not a fan of throwing every man under the bus, just because some make cruel and sad choices. So, I didn’t care for the whole underlying “all men are bastards” vibe that the author brought into areas of this book 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Ella Stolz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would make a great coffee table book as a gift! Loved the chapters on her revenge looks!

[Bella Grunkemeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a quick and fun read. I was really impressed by the quality of the images, I’m a big Princess Diana fan but I had never seen most of the fashion images in the book, not even online. The captions were witty, and I liked how there was still a storyline that was present throughout the book.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly researched and loving look at Princess Diana’s one-of-kind personhood

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the amount of books published about the late Princess Diana in the 25+ years since her death, you would think there would not be much new ground to cover. I loved Moran’s fresh perspective and wit.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of this please 💖🤩 The layout of this book was freaking fabulous.

[Terry Solfest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Beautiful photos of Lady Di!

[Kaitlin Sparkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting, witty, and extensive look into Diana’s best looks as well as what she may have been trying to communicate through them. There was a great balance between photographs and commentary and I applaud Moran for her research. It’s crazy that this book began as an instagram account started by Moran to share Lady Di’s “revenge looks,” and I appreciate that she took it from a passion project to a full book. I highly recommend it for anyone who even has a slight fascination with Diana or her stellar sense of fashion.

[Scout Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. The fashion is immaculate and Diana is so inspiring.

(I also wrote my undergraduate thesis on the fashion of women in politics. This fashion analysis in this book was great!)