PLYMOUTH, N.H. — As attention focuses on bride-to-be Kate Middleton, many are comparing her to her fiancée's mother Princess Diana.
And just in time, a New Hampshire business has Diana's iconic dresses on display.
In this ink-blue velvet gown, and in the arms of John Travolta, Princess Diana waltzed into our hearts in 1985.
“A princess, a president and American movie star all in the White House,” Maureen Dunkel said.
Crews are preparing 14 of Princess Diana's dresses for an exhibit in Plymouth, New Hampshire, all part of Dunkel's private collection.
Rarely do you get to see the intricate detailing of a royal gown.
“It's all hand-stitched,” Dunkel said. “We're talking creations made for a princess.”
There's the gray silk, pearl embroidered dress that Diana wore when she gazed up at us – doe-eyed – in an infamous Vanity Fair spread.
Newly divorced, she emerged with a new style: pared down dresses, her hair chic and simple.
“When people look at her dresses they can see her growing up through her fashion,” Dunkel said.
The same photographer behind the Vanity Fair shots – also took Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement photos.
And just as we prepare to watch their nuptials on Friday, many reminisce about Princess Diana.
We watched her in Taffeta and a 25-foot train in a fairy tale wedding dress.
Followed by years of opulent and ornate gowns.
She finally surfaced, less encumbered, classic and elegant, forever emblazon in our memory.
“Really what happened, I think, with her iconic persona, she brought you and me into her world,” Dunkel said.
The exhibit is open in Plymouth through May 8.
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