The Dress Designers Who Made History
Before the ceremony, fashion duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel became overnight legends.
Chosen to design Diana’s wedding dress, they worked in secret, surrounded by bolts of ivory silk taffeta, antique lace, and layers of mystery.
The press waited outside their London studio, desperate for even a hint of what the gown might look like.
Inside, the Emanuels described Diana as “glowing, polite, and surprisingly calm.” They stitched her dreams into every ruffle, adding a touch of blue ribbon — her “something blue” — and a hidden horseshoe for luck.
When the dress was finally unveiled, the puffed sleeves, 25-foot train, and intricate hand embroidery made it an instant icon of 1980s romance.
Next → But while the gown drew headlines, a familiar royal face caught attention outside St. Paul’s the next morning — arriving in true Windsor style.