The sixth season of the drama series The Crown, which premiered on Netflix in November, follows, among other things, the final years of Princess Diana until her tragic death in a car accident in Paris. One of the famous scenes in the new season shows the princess, just weeks before her death, on the yacht of her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who also found his death in the accident.
On the cruise the two were on in the summer of 1997 from southern France to Sardinia alongside her two sons, Prince William, and Prince Harry, Diana wore a one-piece swimsuit with a leopard pattern and a collar strap made by Israeli swimwear brand Gottex, and designed by the late Lea Gottlieb. Ahead of the new season’s release, The Crown’s showrunners turned to the company, which produced a nearly identical model for them, worn by actress Elizabeth Debicki.
The leopard-patterned swimsuit that Diana wore on the cruise has become a rare collector's item, and ahead of the series’ new season, Gottex decided to release a limited-edition replica of the iconic swimsuit. As requested, the model is named "Diana," and in its current version, it’s available in two cuts: one with a collar tie like the original model or a version featuring two shoulder straps and a V-neck.
Princess Diana was one of the Israeli brand’s most loyal customers, and she often wore Gottlieb's designs for her vacations. The leopard-print swimsuit was the last one she wore, specially tailored for her by the company after a meeting with Mrs. Gottlieb at the Gottex showroom in London.
Generally, it seems Diana favored Gottex's leopard-print designs, as she had worn a leopard-print swimsuit from the brand even before her cruise, during a vacation with her children in 1990.
In an interview with Leah Gottlieb from 2008, she excitedly recounted, "Princess Diana purchased ten models. They taught me how to bow ahead of the meeting with her, and due to my excitement, I forgot to curtsy. But she was nice and smiled, saying that a handshake would be enough."
More stories: