It is the 50th anniversary of Bruce Oldfield’s couture business this year, and he marks it with one of his greatest accomplishments – even if it comes with a certain amount of awkwardness. News broke in February that Oldfield was designing Queen Camilla’s, dress for the coronation. Such a historic commission would be a crowning achievement for any designer. For someone from Oldfield’s background – pretty much the opposite end of the social spectrum from royalty – it is almost miraculous.
The awkwardness comes because the Camilla commission immediately triggers comparison with another of Oldfield’s royal patrons (and King Charles’s wives, for that matter): Diana, Princess of Wales. In their shared 1980s heyday, Diana was one of a number of high-profile women who helped make Oldfield’s name. And as with many of Oldfield’s clients, it seems, the two were also friends.
