Princess Diana's wedding dress is the stuff of '80s legend. Designed by the then-husband-and-wife team of David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the voluminous style exemplified the romantic, elaborate fashions of the decade. Made from ivory silk taffeta, the ballgown featured a record-breaking 25-foot train, ruffles, bows and massive puffed sleeves that would've made Anne Shirley absolutely green with envy. But what few people know is that Diana allegedly was inspired by supermodel Jerry Hall when it came to her "fairytale" wedding dress.
Hall, who'd been invited to the Queen Mother's 80th birthday in 1980, had asked the Emanuels to design her a dress that resembled one from the royal's birth year, 1900, per the Daily Mail. Lady Diana Spencer, 19, was newly dating Prince Charles at the time and according to Alicia Carroll of memorabilia business Everything Royal, Diana "ran over to Jerry at the party and said: 'I love your dress!'"
"Of course, it was everything a young girl like Diana would adore—it was romantic, like a fairytale princess gown," the royal expert said, adding Hall told Diana the Emanuels had custom-made her dress. The creation features very similar ruffle-trimmed sleeves as Diana's along with an enormous puffed skirt and a bodice featuring bead-and-sequin-trimmed embroidery.
Like Diana's, the model's dress was also crafted from silk taffetta. Caroll, who sells everything from vintage royal china to jewelry, acquired Hall's gown and has listed it on eBay for an eye-watering sum of $1 million (or best offer).
"This dress is one of the most important items I’ve dealt with during more than three decades handling literally hundreds of hand-signed royal cards, letters, dresses, jewelry and other unique items," she told the Daily Mail.
Diana and Charles announced their engagement in February 1981, and when it came time to choose a dress, the bride knew exactly where to call.
Speaking to People about the moment Diana contacted her, Elizabeth Emanuel recalled that Diana asked her, "Would you do me the honor of making my wedding dress?" adding, "You can’t tell anybody about this, there’s not going to be an announcement, so you’ve got to keep it very secret."
"Diana could have had her pick of any designer in the world for her wedding," Carroll said. "But she chose these virtually unknown young British designers based on her love for the Jerry Hall gown. The rest is history."
