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Kitty wore her dress to Dolce & Gabbana’s recent Alta Moda show.
The Gist
- Lady Kitty Spencer, one of Princess Diana’s nieces, channeled the former Princess of Wales while attending Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda show in Italy.
- Kitty’s strapless purple gown—complete with a sweetheart neckline—is evocative of Diana’s famous purple Victor Edelstein dress, worn famously in 1991 and 1997.
- Diana’s gown eventually went on to sell for over $600,000 at auction.
Lady Kitty Spencer and twins Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer—the three eldest daughters of Princess Diana’s younger brother Charles Spencer—often channel their famous aunt through their fashion.
The latest to do so? Kitty, whose purple gown worn to Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda show in Italy is reminiscent of one of the former Princess of Wales’s most memorable style moments. Kitty posted photos of the look to her Instagram, and the silhouette of her vibrant purple dress is similar to that of one of Diana’s iconic purple looks by Victor Edelstein, worn by Diana in a royal portrait alongside Prince Charles in 1991. It later appeared in a 1997 Vanity Fair photoshoot shot not long before her untimely death that August 31.
As for Kitty, she paired her strapless purple gown with statement jewelry—both earrings and a floral-inspired necklace. She wore her blonde hair up in an elegant bun to show off the jewelry and the stunning sweetheart neckline of her dress.
“Alta Moda: Devotion to beauty,” Kitty wrote alongside the carousel of images she shared to Instagram. “There are special nights when the gods leave the celestial sphere and descend into the heart of the Mediterranean: Sicily. A land that has long embraced the cult of beauty, where flowers are offered as gifts, processions become poetry, and devotion reveals itself as an ancient sentiment passed down through generations.”
“Here, devoted women gather roses, weave floral crowns, and adorn altars for the goddesses in a ritual of eternal beauty,” she continued. “These are the inspirations behind the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Collection. Every gesture becomes an offering, every embroidery a prayer, and every dress a declaration of love.”
Kitty, a global ambassador for Dolce & Gabbana, has previously spoken about her aunt, saying of Diana, “I think she’s iconic, and I suppose it’s such a wonderful thing that her fashion influence is still enduring today.”
“She was a great ambassador for British fashion,” added Kitty, who was only six years old when Diana died in 1997.
“I was so young [when Diana was alive],” Kitty told Vanity Fair. “There are only a few memories, but special memories and happy memories, and I’m so lucky to have those.”
Diana’s own purple velvet gown—which sold for a whopping $604,800 at auction in 2023—was originally in Edelstein’s fall 1989 collection. Edelstein was a go-to designer for Diana from 1982 to 1993, WWD reported, including the midnight blue dress Diana wore to dance with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.
Diana’s purple Edelstein dress previously sold at her famous Christie’s auction in 1997 for $24,150—one of 79 dresses that ultimately netted $3.25 million for charity.
Diana’s nieces—collectively known as the Spencer sisters—have taken up their aunt’s mantle when it comes to an appreciation of high fashion. When Kitty was named a global ambassador for Dolce & Gabbana, she said that she was “over the moon” about the appointment, adding, “We have had a special relationship for years, and it is wonderful to make our bond official.”
“When I told my parents, one of my sisters commented, ‘It’s like I’ve been dating the brand for so long and now you guys are finally engaged!’” she continued. “I know I’m in the best hands, as they’ve always welcomed me as one of the family, so this new role seems perfect.”
“I love every minute of this job—I feel very blessed, indeed,” Kitty said. “But most of all, I hope to make them proud in the commitment that I have made to represent the brand with all my heart.”
Dolce & Gabbana was behind Kitty’s five—yes, five—wedding dresses she wore for her 2021 Italian wedding. Her primary wedding gown was from the brand’s Alta Moda division and took around six months to make. According to Tatler, Kitty had just four fittings to get the wedding dress right.
“One of the inspirations is definitely her love for Italy,” Domenico Dolce said. “Kitty is in love with our beautiful country and its rich history, art, and culture.” Stefano Gabbana added, “But she is also a girl who is very attached to her origins, to England, to her heritage of the great Victorian era. And, like all the English people, she has a great passion for all kinds of flowers.”
“For the main dress she wanted to keep a fairly traditional, clean cut, but at the same time she desired to have a timeless allure,” Gabbana continued. Dolce added, “It was all very natural and authentic. Lady Kitty Spencer described to us her dream dress, and we have tried to interpret her wishes. We worked together.”
“We accompanied her on this journey full of emotions, and it was a real honor for us,” Gabbana said.
Read the original article on InStyle
