Dressing For Revenge

Whether it’s Jodie Comer as Villanelle in Killing Eve, Anne Hathaway as Andy in The Devil
Wears Prada or Julia Roberts as Vivian in Pretty Woman, it's impossible not to be fascinated
with lead characters dressing for revenge. Their clothes usually signal a shift in a character's
life, a new and better beginning where they’ve irrevocably changed while they reevaluate
their wants and needs.. The looks often appear as simultaneously glamorous and effortless,
as though there’s been no thought or effort into looking so incredibly well.
This all comes at the expense of the person who wronged them and in turn, a sweet serving
of the dish that is best served cold. Generally, the characters focus is no longer on their
perceived wrongdoer. They are now free from the power these people held over them having
reached a point of freedom and enlightenment which oozes from their chosen looks. Their
clothes and how their body moves and feels within them communicate all of this, before they
even utter a word. As Vivian so gleefully puts it in Pretty Woman, these women finally get to
tell those who crossed them ‘Big Mistake, Huge’.
But no Dress has conveyed this power quite like Diana’s aptly named, Revenge Dress, an
immortalised piece of fashion history.
Designed by Christina Stamboulian, Diana originally had the Revenge Dress made in 1991,
where it sat in her wardrobe for three whole years. This is fashion that was anything but fast.
It was slow, considered, hung patiently in the wardrobe awaiting for the stars to align for its
debut. There the dress sat, unaware of its vengeful fate, until a party at the Serpentine
Gallery in June of 1994. Diana had originally turned down an invitation to the Vanity Fair
event, but shortly after Charles had publicly admitted to being unfaithful in a television
special, she changed her plans. The black dress that had waited for three long years in the
wardrobe was finally ready for ultimate impact. The dress was baptised by the scandal-
hungry tabloid media and immortalised in popular culture forevermore.
Perhaps Diana had spent so many years navigating the ruthless world of the tabloid media
that she learnt to only focus on narratives she could control? Sick of being misquoted and
her words twisted, she concentrated her attention on things within her reach and wearing a
dress that jumped off the page, engrossing its audience to make the woman, not the
headline, their focus was a coup. In a media culture where women were seen and rarely
heard, Diana had found a way to speak without the mic. The Revenge Dress captured the
attention of the world, serving as a visceral example of fashion as both an empowering force
and a detailed storytelling device.
This November, Don’t Tell Dad About Diana, comes to Camden People's Theatre. A show
borne out of a deep fascination with the pop culture of the late 90’s and its existence side-by-
side with major historical events which continue to impact our lives today, such as Diana’s
Death and the Good Friday Agreement. While Don’t Tell Dad About Diana playfully
explores Revenge, Irish Republicanism, Royalism, Nationalism and Fandom, at its core it's
also a story about the coming of age and the incomparable bond of our adolescent
friendships.
We follow Conor and Hannah through Dublin’s streets as they prepare for the city’s largest
(and only) Drag competition, Alternative Miss Ireland 1997. Having practised their Diana
impersonation act in secret, without being caught by Conor’s strongly Anti-British father, the
day of their performance has finally arrived. What could possibly go wrong?

This fast paced, comedic two-hander swings between hilarity and honesty. Written and
performed by Hannah Power and Conor Murray, tickets are on sale now for two
performances only.

Don’t Tell Dad About Diana
Sat 23 - Sun 24 Nov 2024 at 7pm
Tickets £8 - £12 (+ Booking Fee)