Like it or not, some celebrity looks are seared into the collective fashion consciousness. Marilyn’s windswept white dress, Rihanna’s 2015 Met Gala gown (yep, the yellow one), and Cher’s feather-trimmed Bob Mackie bodysuit all come to mind. Another look that has been referenced repeatedly on the red carpet? The powder-blue Catherine Walker dress, complete with matching chiffon scarf, that Princess Diana wore at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987. (Lily-Rose Depp, Laura Harrier and Elle Fanning all appear to have taken inspiration from the style over the years.) While the blue dress is among the late royal’s best known looks, she was also photographed in another outfit during her stint at the festival, which returns for 2025 on May 13—one that reveals the Princess’s truly of-the-era fashion inclinations.

Princess Diana in Cannes.

Photo: Getty Images

Part Sloane Ranger, part nautical, Diana’s double-breasted blazer and puffball skirt combo was simultaneously peak ’80s power dressing and entirely fitting for the French riviera (thanks to the Gallic stripes and toe-cap heels). The work of one of her go-to designers, Catherine Walker, this was a look that laughed in the face of minimalism. With the puffball skirt making a major comeback in recent seasons, expect to see plenty of Diana-inspired looks lining the pavements this summer. Polka dots are back, power shoulders are in, and we’re embracing the more is more approach once championed by the Princess.

Of course, celebrities have been channeling Diana for years: think Harry Styles in that sheep sweater, Angelina Jolie’s revenge dress moment, and Hailey Bieber’s sporty streetwear (neon bike shorts and a varsity sweatshirt). Sloane style in particular, once dismissed as the remit of fluffy-haired girls spending daddy’s money, is enjoying a return to the limelight care of British heritage brand Burberry, Prada’s charmingly awkward skirt suits, and Laura Andraschko’s Barbour jackets for the horse girl who spent too long at the afters.