Elizabeth Debicki’s The Crown Premiere Dress Included a Major Reference to Princess Diana
On Tuesday night, Elizabeth Debicki walked the red carpet for the season five premiere of The Crown, celebrating the actress’ debut on the Netflix show, where she has taken over the role of Princess Diana, previously portrayed by Emma Corrin. Debicki found the perfect dress for the event, courtesy of the Dior haute couture spring/summer 2022, one that referenced Diana, while still highlighting Debicki’s own uniqueness.
Debicki wore a black, silk crepe strapless dress with a ribbed bustier to the premiere. From the front, the dress, which also featured a scarf-like piece that wrapped around the actress’ neck before falling behind her, resembled the dress Diana wore to the Cannes Film Festival in 1987. Though the Princess’ dress was rendered in baby blue, it featured a similarly textured torso, with the same scarf detail.
But Debicki’s dress was brought into the 21st century with the detail of the open back, which saw those ruched pieces and the scarf come together at the center of her shoulder blades, a silhouette that reportedly took two members of Dior’s atelier about 300 hours to make. Debicki then decorated the look with bracelets, earrings, and rings from Dior, fitting as the actress was named an ambassador of Dior Joaillerie last year.
Debicki’s journey with iconic Diana dresses is far from over. Season five of The Crown is now on Netflix, which means you can see the actress in the recreation of Diana’s “revenge dress,” which the Princess wore the day Prince Charles confessed his infidelity on national television in June 1994. Debicki has spoken about what it was like to wear the dress and recreate that moment.
Debicki as Diana on The Crown.
“It fascinated me how entranced people were with that dress,” Debicki told Entertainment Weekly. She explained that after she landed the role, she received texts of congratulations, but also those asking if she would be wearing the revenge dress. Of course, she did, and when she finally put it on, she said the moment was “very significant and quite powerful.”
“It provoked something in me as an actor," Debicki said. “I can't really explain it. It's pretty incredible that a dress would represent a moment in history, or that this human's life would represent so much and become so iconic. So, that was a big day on set for me.”
