One of Princess Diana’s most memorable photoshoots—which would not be seen until after her tragic death—was actually styled by another surprising '90s fashion icon. Hair stylist Sam McKnight revealed the secret fashion inspo on the "Fat Mascara" podcast, while also diving into Princess Diana’s hair styling worries in her post-divorce fashion era.
“We did her hair slicked back quite a lot with Patrick [Demarchelier], but she kind of felt that it was drawing too much attention to her,” McKnight said on the podcast. At the time, Princess Diana had a short pixie-esque cut, which stylist Sam McKnight often styled in a gelled slick-back style, which Princess Diana was happy to wear for artistic photoshoots but not so much for royal events. “To have such a huge change, it would detract from the charity she was promoting,” the former Princess of Wales felt.
That slicked back style would feature in the historic photographs taken by Patrick Demarchelier, featured on Harper’s Bazaar just after Princess Diana’s tragic death. The studded Versace gown, however, was the styling suggested of another ‘90s icon. “I was working with Christy Turlington,” McKnight revealed on the podcast, saying “she was in this pale blue studded Versace gown and said ‘my God, Princess Diana would look amazing in this, why don’t you give her this polaroid,’ which I did.” The princess’s hair stylist shared the photograph with Princess Diana, and the rest is history.
“[Diana] said ‘oh God, I’m not sure I would get away with this,’” McKnight said. While it seems impossible that anything would shake Princess Diana’s confidence, the bold and beautiful Versace gown felt like a reach for her style-wise. But with supermodel Christy Turlington’s approval, she went for it. “I think that was the first time she wore Versace,” McKnight reminisced, before saying “those pictures are some of my favorites.”
