Wedding Gowns & Bridal Fashion

Princess Diana’s wedding dress will grace Sydney in a major coup for the Powerhouse Museum.

On loan from the Spencer family’s 500-year-old ancestral home Althorp Estate, Diana: A Celebration features more than 150 items that chronicle Diana’s life from childhood through to her rocky royal years.

Her 1981 wedding gown, diamond tiara, veil and 7.5m train help form the exhibition’s centrepiece Royal Wedding Gallery.

Fashion fans can see the Versace, Chanel, Dior and Lacroix dresses, suits and couture gowns Diana wore along with portraits of her ancestors, Spencer family jewels and other precious Althorp artifacts.

Family films from her childhood, photos, personal possessions and private letters offer a rare insight.

During the northern summer the exhibition resides at Althorp House, Northamptonshire, but in recent years has toured US, Canada and Japan in its “off season”. This is its furthest trip and its first time in Australia.

Powerhouse curator Glynis Jones said the exhibit also included material covering Diana’s support for AIDs, charities, homeless people and landmine victims.

“Australians have long had a special affection for Diana, with fond memories of her boundless spirit and her extraordinary kindness and evotion to others,” she said.

Ms Jones promised “a rare and intimate glimpse into her world and the many roles for which she became known, from the young bride who captured our hearts, to the icon of fashion and style, and as a humanitarian campaigner”.

The exhibition opens on September 29.

Source: Sunday Telegraph