A nod to Diana in lemon and lace
She may have been only six years old when Princess Diana died, but Lady Kitty Spencer has spent her adult life quietly, elegantly honouring her aunt's legacy — and her latest style moment was no exception. The 35-year-old turned heads this week after sharing an image of herself in a stunning lemon-yellow dress adorned with a delicate floral print and finished with a vintage sailor collar and a contrasting black ribbon bow. It was understated, it was feminine, and it was unmistakably Diana.
The sailor collar — a distinctive neckline that loops around the throat before framing a deep V at the front — had its heyday in the early 1900s, but it was Diana who brought it roaring back into the fashion conversation during the 1980s. The late Princess was photographed wearing the style on numerous occasions, most memorably in a blue and white Catherine Walker dress with a crisp white collar at an event at Bayan Palace in Kuwait in 1989. Kitty's lemon-hued revival of the look feels like a love letter to that era, updated for a modern wardrobe with a lighter touch and a sunnier palette.
Fashion in the blood
Spencer has long been considered one of Britain's most stylish young women, and she's spoken candidly about what drives her approach to dressing. Her philosophy is refreshingly untrend-driven — she dresses for herself, not for the moment.
'I think the best thing about fashion and style is taking the bits that suit you and playing with them, rather than conforming to whatever the trends are.'
She's equally clear on what she looks for in a garment: 'I dress for my shape, and I like anything that goes in at the waist. I make sure my clothes are nicely tailored and classic but still feminine — I don't like anything too fussy.' It's a sensibility that feels directly inherited from the woman she so admires.
Kitty is the eldest daughter of Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, and his first wife Victoria Lockwood, making her Diana's niece by her brother's side. She married South African businessman Michael Lewis in 2019 in a lavish ceremony in Florence, and the couple welcomed their first child in 2023. Despite the glamour of her life — she has modelled for Dolce & Gabbana and graced countless international front rows — Kitty has always spoken about Diana with genuine warmth rather than celebrity calculation.
'I think she's iconic, and it's such a wonderful thing that her fashion influence is still enduring today. She was a great ambassador for British fashion.'
The Spencer women: a dynasty in their own right
Kitty is not alone in commanding attention in royal circles. Her twin sisters, Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, are equally striking presences at major events, and the three have built reputations as stylish, self-possessed young women in their own right. Together, they represent a glamorous new chapter in the Spencer family story — one that carries Diana's spirit forward without being defined entirely by it.
What makes Kitty's sailor collar moment particularly resonant is precisely its restraint. She hasn't cloned a Diana look wholesale or leaned into nostalgia for its own sake. She's absorbed the detail, made it her own, and worn it with the easy confidence of someone who understands that the best style doesn't shout — it simply endures. Diana, one suspects, would have approved entirely.
