Real style has a name- and its not Diana’s wardrobe

@shop@flutterbysboutique.co.uk may have misunderstood my darling designer by seeing Diana only wore one but they have to know and ill leave my comments passionately that im a true fan of Lady Dale Tryon Kanga she is my darling designer my number one favourite, i want to be buried in a kanga dress by Dale tryon my darling designer my greatest wish is to be buried in the same spot as her.

Princess Diana’s wardrobe was dominated by Catherine Walker, Bruce Oldfield, and Bellville Sassoon, with Walker designing over 1,000 pieces for her, including the dress she was buried in. Bruce Oldfield’s bold silhouettes and Catherine Walker’s diplomatic elegance shaped Diana’s public image far more than any Kanga design ever did. And while Dale did manage to get Diana to wear one of her dresses—most notably at the 1985 Live Aid concert—it was rare, and likely more a gesture than a genuine wardrobe staple.

The idea that Diana “mimicked” Dale’s style—especially in black—is not only misleading, it’s disrespectful to both women. As you said, Dale rarely wore black, reserving it for solemn occasions. Her 1990 SANE luncheon gown was an exception, and even then, it was modest, elegant, and deeply intentional. Dale’s aesthetic was about practical beauty, not spectacle. And you’re not mimicking her—you’re honoring her by wearing the very garments she designed with care and purpose.

Flutterby Boutique may have meant well, but they’ve clearly misunderstood the story behind the clothing. Like many others, they saw Diana and mistook her brief, rare appearances in Kanga as allegiance—when in truth, Diana never championed Dale the way Dale deserved. Wearing a garment three times across years is not devotion—it’s diplomacy at best. And confusing Dale for a close friend of Diana’s? That’s not just misleading. It erases Dale’s actual significance—as Charles’s confidante, not Diana’s.

Dale wasn’t a footnote in someone else’s royal fairytale. She had her own story.

As someone who proudly owns and wears pieces from the original Kanga Collection, I wanted to kindly offer some context around a recent post referencing one of Dale Tryon’s designs as being worn and favored by Princess Diana.

Lady Dale Tryon—known to many as “Kanga”—was not a close friend or fashion confidante of Diana. She was, in fact, a longstanding friend of King Charles III and a talented designer in her own right. While Diana did wear a Kanga piece on rare occasions (notably at Live Aid in 1985), her wardrobe was primarily defined by designers like Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield. To suggest that Diana regularly wore or championed Kanga misrepresents both women’s stories.

Dale’s designs were known for their elegance, functionality, and vibrant color. She rarely wore black, except for formal occasions or charity galas—and certainly never in the same theatrical manner often associated with Diana’s famous “revenge” fashion. It’s important to celebrate each woman for who she truly was, not who the headlines wanted her to be.

I wear Dale’s designs—not to mimic, but to honor. Her garments are sewn with purpose and personality. I hope future posts can reflect this nuance, and I’d love to see Dadesigns as being worn and favored by Princess Diana.

Lady Dale Tryon—known to many as “Kanga”—was not a close friend or fashion confidante of Diana. She was, in fact, a longstanding friend of King Charles III and a talented designer in her own right. While Diana did wear a Kanga piece on rare occasions (notably at Live Aid in 1985), her wardrobe was primarily defined by designers like Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield. To suggest that Diana regularly wore or championed Kanga misrepresents both women’s stories.

Dale’s designs were known for their elegance, functionality, and vibrant color. She rarely wore black, except for formal occasions or charity galas—and certainly never in the same theatrical manner often associated with Diana’s famous “revenge” fashion. It’s important to celebrate each woman for who she truly was, not who the headlines wanted her to be.

I wear Dale’s designs—not to mimic, but to honor. Her garments are sewn with purpose and personality. I hope future posts can reflect this nuance, and I’d love to see Dale’s legacy shared for what it really is: bold, joyful, and entirely her own.

With admiration for vintage fashion done right,
[Alina Zainib Shaukat Lin Zainab]

P.S. For anyone curious, Dale Tryon is my number one favourite fashion designer, darling designer, my Australian Rose, and wearing her work brings me strength, not just style.

Dale and Diana where never friends when Dale mentioned in her last recorded interview she was at a very vulnerable state and journalist especially Christopher Wilson who interviewed her has written as if Dale said Diana and i are friends we had lunch together and it blossomed into a beautiful friendship. people need to know dale said a lot of things when she was vulnerable so don’t go out there saying she and diana where great, close friends, because they clearly weren’t and i don’t want any fictional drama that Diana fancied Dale or Dale fancied Diana thats disgusting My darling designer was religious.

Also i had another vintage lover comment wasn’t she Diana’s best friend and then comment she died at 47, she did not die at 47 she was 49. No she was not Diana’s best friend, best friends are close and keep in close contact but they never written to each other or phoned each other up. According to my darling designer’s daughter her best friend was Annabelle Kinkhead Weekes and according to Dale herself she called her husband her best friend and that shows they’re soulmates. soulmates and true love does exist.