Victor Edelstein created Princess Diana’s midnight-blue dress for her 1985 White House dance with John Travolta.
The strapless velvet evening gown became known as the “Travolta dress” after photographs showed Diana dancing with the actor at a state dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan. Edelstein was a British designer whose work for Diana included several formal gowns.
The dress is often confused with Diana’s “revenge dress,” which was designed by Christina Stambolian and worn in London in 1994. They are separate garments from different designers and different moments in Diana’s public life.
The Travolta dress has continued to attract attention at museum exhibitions and auctions because it combines a classic 1980s evening silhouette with one of the most recognizable photographs of Diana. Its association with Hollywood glamour comes from the dance, not from a film premiere or awards ceremony.