Christina Stambolian created Princess Diana’s black off-the-shoulder dress worn at the 1994 Serpentine Gallery summer party.
The dress became known as the “revenge dress” because Diana wore it on the evening a televised documentary revealed Prince Charles’s admission of adultery. Its daring neckline, short hemline, and figure-hugging silhouette contrasted sharply with the restrained royal clothing traditionally associated with her public role.
Diana had reportedly received the dress from Stambolian several years earlier but had considered it too bold to wear. The designer, a Greek-born London fashion designer, used black silk to create a striking evening look. The garment was paired with black heels, a pearl choker, and a small black clutch.
The nickname is media shorthand rather than the dress’s official title, and it does not mean Diana publicly described it as revenge. The event took place at London’s Serpentine Gallery on June 29, 1994, making the dress one of the most discussed examples of fashion communicating a public image.