Fashion Sketch

This design by the British fashion designer David Sassoon is for Diana, Princess of Wales. The Princess wore it in November 1993 to officially switch on the Christmas lights in Bond Street, London. The design reflects a wider change and freedom in the Princess's look at the time.

David Sassoon is a leading British couturier known for creating some of Diana, Princess of Wales's most iconic looks. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1958, David Sassoon joined the designer Belinda Bellville and formed the design house and label Bellville Sassoon in 1970. They counted Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy and members of the Royal Family as clients. Belinda Bellville handed over control of the company to David Sassoon in 1981 following her retirement.

Diana was introduced to Bellville Sassoon by her mother Frances Shand Kydd. This marked the start of a long-term professional relationship between the Princess and the designer.