Jacquemus' Versailles Show Was a Love Letter to Princess Diana

When Simon Porte Jacquemus stages a runway, you pay attention. You watch for the clothes, of course, which exude nonchalance, sex appeal, and a certain "It" quality that countless other brands so desperately attempt to recreate. But you're also itching to witness the spectacle of it all—the setting, the A-lister attendees, the copious Instagrammable details—that the French designer has become known for. Jacquemus' Fall/Winter 2023 collection, held at Versailles on June 26, was no exception to his lauded legacy.

Entitled "Le Chouchou," the showing was filled with tutu panniers, sheer peplum tops, and bubble hems—a frothy and feminine mix that will leave you craving cake. But surprisingly, Marie Antoinette, the famed royal who lived lavishly in the castle and encouraged her civilians to feast on confections, wasn't the eponymous designer's inspiration. In an interview with Vogue, the designer revealed that Jacquemus' Versailles show was an homage to Princess Diana.

Beyond just iconic '80s style codes, like the über-exaggerated puff sleeves that the designer revealed “will become a signature of Jacquemus," there were explicit references to some of Princess Diana's most iconic fashion moments. Kendall Jenner walked the runway in a cumulus cloud-like mini romper that closely resembled the late royal's puffed-up wedding gown. Jenner also wore a pearl choker necklace fit with a sapphire center, an explicit reference to the jewelry Princess Diana wore with her revenge dress. In fact, that necklace is one of the more ubiquitous and oft-recreated pieces of fashion's history: You recently saw another recreation of the famed three-strand choker on The Crown season five worn by Elizabeth Debicki as the people's princess.

Here's another reference to the late Princess of Wales' style that studied fans will recognize: Imaan Hammam wore a nipped-in blazer with black and white polka-dotted micro shorts bubbling underneath and cap-toe pumps. Flashback to the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, where Lady Di wore a tailored blazer with a black and white striped puff-hem dress that frothed under the hem and black and white cap-toe pumps.

Take a look at some more stand-out looks from the Jacquemus Versailles Show below. Can you spot any more homages to the one, the only Princess Diana?