It’s outdated… Until Lady Di decides to wear it. In the history of fashion, no piece has ever held up to the Princess of Wales’s stylistic flair – not even this cheesy garment. Associated with Christmas and childhood, she only had to wear it once for it to become trendy.
In the fashionista world governed by Lady Diana, there is no such thing as old-fashionedness. Like Midas, the Princess of Wales has the power to turn everything she wears into gold – or at least, into highly desirable fashion items. Indeed, it only takes one look at Diana for a piece of clothing criticized in the modosphere to end up being unanimously accepted. This is the case with this outdated garment, usually reserved for Christmas and the end of year celebrations.
It was in 1981 that we saw it worn and sublimated by the “princess of hearts”. All knitted in red, the version worn by the latter is then adorned with countless white sheep, including one black, which wander happily on the purple wool as if on a field of pasture. The color worn by Lady Di also gives us a big clue about the nature of the piece…
You will have understood, it is the famous “ugly Christmas sweater”, also called “ugly Christmas sweater.”
Born in the 50’s, this cheesy sweater gained visibility thanks to certain personalities having worn it on TV screens (we think in particular of the crooner Val Doonican). But it was Diana Spencer who allowed her to transcend the boundaries of the Christmas wardrobe to gain her acclaim in the fashion sphere. Following the publication of the photo where we see her wearing the knitted sweater in the 80s, the model imagined by the brand “Warm and Wonderful” breaks away and sells like hotcakes.
The princess’s “effortless chic” style led her to pair it with raw denim pants and a white shirt with a peter pan collar, for a preppy look particularly suited to the polo match she was attending. No less was needed to create a fashion moment that will go down in posterity.
Several decades later – in 2007 to be precise – here he is strutting on the trendiest runways of houses such as Stella McCartney. In 2022, the ready-to-wear label H&M even released a very inspired iteration of the Princess of Wales’ initial model, which was a great success with die-hard fashionistas.
Even today, the Christmas sweater conquers fashionable girls and celebrities around the world. For proof; on Vinted, it is one of the most sought-after pieces at the end of the year. The second-hand platform records a increase of 84% compared to the same period last year.*
A true fashion icon whose influence goes beyond her own existence, Lady Di always makes the rain and the trends… Even the most surprising ones!
*figures for the period from November 1 to December 5, 2024, provided by the Vinted platform