I love and miss Princess Diana. There are certain people who we may not know personally, but they still manage to have a profound impact on our life. Princess Diana was one of those people for me. I will never forget August 31, 1997. I was at our summer house off the Aegean Sea in Turkey. I was upstairs in my room, and I remember the house phone ringing.  It was one of my best friends calling. She said “You are not going to believe this. Princess Diana is dead. She is dead!” I was in shock. I kept asking my friend, “how, how could this happen.” I then yelled at my mom who was downstairs in the kitchen and said “Princess Diana is gone. She’s gone!!!” My mom was shocked. We could not believe that our idol, and this woman who inspired us so much had died. At that point, I did not even know how it happened. I quickly hung up the phone, and we turned the TV on to learn the tragic details. It was one of the most shocking and saddest days of my life. It was unbelievable.

There were so many things about Princess Diana that inspired me. As a teenager at the time, I admired her for always helping others. Her charity work was exemplary. I have vivid images of her in my mind while she is helping children in Africa and assisting AIDS patients. She also talked about mental health issues when it was not so common. She was a visionary, a woman who did it all while looking fabulous.

When Princess Diana was still alive and gracing this earth with her presence, she had a remarkable sense of style. We got to see her beautiful face and outfits in every image. I reviewed some of her iconic outfits and put together some style tips that we all can learn from the Princess.

Bold Colors and Patterns

When done right, bold patterns and colors can make you appear striking. For example, the late Princess once wore a red dress with a white trim, a matching red hat with the same pattern, and a pair of red shoes. She was never afraid of bold colors.

Casual, Yet Polished

Princess Diana is usually remembered as wearing elaborate and gorgeous dresses and gowns. However, she also pulled the polished, yet casual look off. She would sometimes do something like wear a white collared shirt, along with lightly washed out jeans.

Little Black Dress, The “LBD”

She sure knew how a woman could make the infamous LBD look classy and sophisticated. Wearing a little black dress off the shoulders, while paired with black tights and a statement necklace that was incredibly alluring. I skip the black tights personally, but I have used the rest of this look time and time again.

Unconventional Necklaces

Princess Diana was known to wear all sorts of necklaces. She even used Queen Mary’s emerald choker necklace as a forehead statement headband once. She was a princess, after all. A unique accessory that makes a statement can turn a seemingly simple outfit into one that becomes a head-turner.

Floral Dresses

The Princess always looked stunning when she wore floral dresses. Sometimes, she would drape over a white blazer over her shoulders. This is quite a stylish look, even today (usually minus the blazer).

Polka Dots

The late Princess loved polka dots and mixing them with color. She also loved her hats and fasteners and always managed to look so elegant and beautiful. I love the use of color in my wardrobe. I think we generally think colors belong in the summer, but she proved us wrong on that time and time again by sporting colors throughout the year.

Colorful Coats

When the temperature dips down, you’re going to want to keep warm. Instead of your go-to coat, you can take a page out of Diana’s fashion playbook and wear something more colorful. You can even contrast it with your ring, if you have one, for a more stand-out look.

Functional, Yet Stylish

Even if the weather is not all sunny and warm, you can still look your best. Living in England, the Princess was used to disappointing weather. However, that did not stop her from pulling off wearing rain boots, hunter green pants, and a sweater to match. This is a functional, yet fashionable style that has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years.

Earrings

I always forget about the earrings. If you review the images of Princess Diana, you will see that she almost always had earrings on. She always completed each look with a beautiful set of earrings. I think that was one of the reasons why she also always looked so feminine.

Take Cues

These are just some of the lessons Princess Diana taught me when it comes to style. I am sure you will love the way you feel and the compliments you will get when you start applying some of these to your life as well! Take cues from one of the most iconic and amazing women in modern history by following these style tips. This will all be in addition to all the life lessons we learned from her! She will forever be missed.