Princess Diana's Met Gala Dress Almost Looked Wildly Different

Princess Diana only graced the Met Gala red carpet once, yet it became one of the most iconic moments in fashion history. In 1996, the late royal stepped away from her conservative style and embraced a bold look for the legendary event. Diana made a discreet entrance wearing a silk navy blue slip dress, with lace trim, and a matching shawl. She also accessorized with the famous Dior Lady Di bag and stunning jewelry.

Diana commissioned designer John Galliano for the look, who recalled the princess' liberating moment just months after her divorce from then-Prince Charles. In Hulu's latest docuseries "In Vogue: The 90s," the former creative director for Dior described what it's like working with Diana. "I remember one day we all jumped into this old van, and we went to London, where we met Princess Diana," Galliano explained. "She'd been invited to the Met, and she would wear one of my dresses."

However, the iconic look might never have happened if Diana hadn't taken creative control of her style. Galliano revealed that he originally suggested a pink dress, but it wasn't to the princess' liking. "We went to Kensington Palace and discussed drawings," Vanity Fair quoted the designer as saying. "I was trying to push for pink, but she was not having it. 'No, not the pink!' That was real, real fun." As it turns out, ditching the color pink was only the beginning. Diana's next move gave the whole look an extra layer of wow factor.

At the time, Princess Diana seemed set on making a rebellious fashion statement. With her divorce finalized, there was no stopping the royal from wearing what she wanted (and Princess Diana certainly donned plenty of inappropriate outfits over the years). In the same docuseries, John Galliano revealed that Diana's input made all the difference in the dress. "We did the dress and subsequent fittings, and it was beautifully done... the corset, everything was correct," he said. "She didn't want to wear the corset. She felt so liberated. She'd torn the corset out. The dress was much more... sensuous."

But Diana was reportedly worried about what her then-14-year-old son, Prince William, might think of her red carpet look, per Vogue. After all, her sons were used to seeing her in modest clothing. Despite her concerns, she managed to pull it off gracefully, cementing the moment in the fashion world.

The 1996 Met Gala wasn't the first time Diana made jaws drop with her choice of outfit. The people's princess once made headlines with her famous "revenge dress." She broke royal protocol when she stepped out in an off-the-shoulder black dress around the time Prince Charles publicly admitted to being unfaithful. "She wanted to look a million dollars," her former stylist and the late Vogue editor, Anna Harvey, said "And she did."