Lady Diana's Dresses

Before heading to northern England to do some hiking I stopped in London for a few days.  It has been a couple of decades since I was there and I wanted to revisit a couple of sights.  I checked the British Museum.  Lord Elgin's Parthenon marble frieze is still there, no doubt to the consternation of
Greece.  The Tower of London still houses the Monarch's crown jewels and about ten thousand other tourists and I filed past to view them on a steamy August afternoon..

But the hands-down most memorable part of my visit was to Kensington Palace.  For sure the King's and Queen's chambers were sumptuous. It's nice to be able to afford several large Tintorettos and such to adorn the walls.  The 'Queen Victoria Revealed' exhibit was a bit of a letdown.  This is no doubt because I was immersed in the lives of Queen Victoria and Albert in the recent PBS series which as usual was an over-the-top Brit production.  But what stole the show and the hearts of those touring Kensington Palace that day was the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibit.

Several rooms were devoted to outfits she had worn. Each contained a placard explaining who designed it and where it was worn.  It traced her growing legacy from a conservative dresser to one who collaborated with famous designers to influence the fashion world.

I think what I shall remember the most about walking through those rooms with others as we all looked at the outfits is not the dresses themselves.  It is the admiration and almost a hushed reverence that permeated the atmosphere.  I can think of no other words than to say it was almost like walking through a shrine.  Even the curmudgeon side of me was moved.  Surely, this woman has left an indelible mark on British history.