Princess Diana Flouted Royal Norms With This Bold Accessorizing Move At The 1985 Gala

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Princess Diana has left a lasting legacy as a fashion icon, dazzling the masses with her elegant style choices. From wearing iconic royal rule-breaking outfits to having one of the best royal wedding dresses in the modern era, the beloved royal certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. However, everyone has an off day, even a globally renowned philanthropic figure like Princess Diana. In particular, one specific dress and accessory combo really didn't work for her.

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The above image shows the ensemble in question, taken during a 1985 gala held in Australia. Here, Princess Diana is dressed in a bright, sparkling blue one-shoulder frock that not only featured a whacky cut, but also proves that neon-ish blue isn't her color. What makes it worse is the decision to pair it with an emerald headband, which just ended up looking strange. Although it could be argued that this is one of the royal fashion rules Princess Diana never followed, it leaves you wondering who thought it was a good idea for the then-Princess of Wales to walk out garbed in this.

Princess Diana's fashion choices grew more audacious after her divorce from now-King Charles was finalized in 1996. However, some of her style choices occasionally failed to strike a chord with the public. For instance, when Princess Diana went to Munich's National Theater in 1987, she wore a dark purple velvet evening gown, as seen above. From the top to her waist, everything looked great, until the taffeta-looking monstrosity of a skirt. "Omg, what an awful dress!!" an Instagram user commented on this nostalgic post calling back to the former royal couple. And then there was the Jacques Azagury dress she wore in 1985. 

Aside from the voluminous shoulder pads endemic in the '80s, the blue stars dotting the black velvet top, paired with the blue two-tiered skirt with a huge bow on the side, all made for a questionable choice. However, we can give the late royal some grace when it comes to these fashion missteps. According to fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, who was a close confidante and personal stylist to Princess Diana in the '80s, the late Princess was not always so confident about her style choices. "She would search the mirror, worried that her shoulder pads were too big or that the skirts were too short," Oldfield wrote in his 2005 autobiography, Rootless (per The Telegraph). But it appears Princess Diana soon found her footing, quickly learning how to convey her inner world and state of mind through fashion.