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Royal Rethreads: Di's Best To Go On Display

Tribune file photos

Dresses for Humanity II will feature 18 of Diane's dresses and pieces from her working wardrobe.

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By CLOE CABRERA | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2008

We've all heard the saying "clothes make the woman."

In the case of the late Princess Diana, however, the woman made the clothes. Her clothes went beyond making a fashion statement; they became iconic.

And now there's another chance to see some of the outfits Diana wore.

Dresses for Humanity II will feature 18 of Diana's dresses and pieces from her working wardrobe, including some that have never been displayed in the United States. Some of the dresses were created by Catherine Walker, a favorite designer of the princess.

The exhibit will occupy the Lake Hunter Room at the Lakeland Center through Dec. 26. The display, with limited lighting and the outfits set inside transparent cases, includes story boards giving the background on each item, along with audio narrative and video screens.

Some of the dresses have historical significance. Among the highlights are a pink beaded silk gown referred to as the "pink India dress," which Diana wore in 1992 when she met the late Mother Teresa in India, and a navy lace dress she wore to the 1997 premiere of the film "In Love and War."

Just eight weeks before Diana's death in 1997 at 36, 79 of her dresses were auctioned for charity in New York City. Tampa businesswoman Maureen Rorech Dunkel purchased 14 of the gowns. After the princess' death, Rorech Dunkel wanted to share the dresses with the public and formed the Dresses for Humanity exhibition.

The first Dresses for Humanity exhibit, which toured the world from late 1997 through 2001, drew more than 1 million visitors from the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Europe, and donated nearly $1 million to charities.

When that exhibit ended, the dress collection was loaned to Kensington Palace, the former home of the late Princess of Wales, until 2010.

Exhibit tickets are $23 for adults and $8 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under age 6 are admitted free.

The Lakeland Center, 701 W. Lime St., is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; after-hours private tours with Dunkel are also available.

For information about the Dresses For Humanity II exhibition, visit www.PrincessDianaDresses.com. For information about the exhibit's Lakeland visit, call (863) 834-8100, or visit thelakelandcenter.com.

GIVE SHOES, FEEL GOOD

The Help Parents as Teachers 2008 Shoe Drive needs your shoes. The organization will accept new and gently used shoe donations for children ages 3 to 12 through mid-December. All types of shoes are needed for the drive, but most sought-after are sneakers and closed-toe shoes for school.

Donations can be dropped off at these Tampa area locations: Baby Bungalow, 3105 W. Azeele St.; Grace Episcopal Church, 15102 Amberly Drive; Chick-fil-A, 3119 Bend Drive; and Suntrust Bank, 16102 Bruce B, Downs Blvd.

Georgina Rivera, program director for the Parents as Teachers program, says she hopes to collect at least 500 shoes, which will be donated to Mort Elementary School.

For information, call Rivera at (813) 356-1293, Ext. 243.

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656.

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