Princess Diana’s #1 fashion tip that helped her become a style icon

Princess Diana was undoubtedly one of the biggest fashion inspirations of her time, and her styles still live on in infamy. One of the ways she ensured a consistent and inspiring style profile is by recycling old clothes - which also contributed to her effort to be more sustainable. 

When you think of Princess Diana, you may recall a fair number of iconic outfits - perhaps you think of her incredible black "revenge dress," or her simply adorable sheep sweater. 

Regardless of which image of Princess Diana you immediately surmise in your head, it goes without saying her outfits continue to live on in infamy - and Daily Mail writer Eliza Scarborough has a theory as to why. 

Of course, she's one of the most photographed women of her time, so with an obvious collection of photographs available at our disposal, we're able to look at all of her best looks over the years. 

"Diana was also known for the creative ways she recycled fashion however. In fact,  some of her most spectacular looks were re-wears with a little twist," Eliza noted in her reflection on Princess Diana's style. 

"Instead of returning to the same old look, she mixed things up,  deconstructing and redesigning many items in her wardrobe to suit her changing style," she said. Often, Princess Diana would reconstruct and restyle items like blouses and suits in order to help them suit other outfits. 

For example, Eliza recalled a time when Diana wore a skirt suit in two different ways - and both of her styles of the suit gave off totally different vibes.

"In June 1981, a month before her royal wedding, Diana chose a purple and yellow striped suit by David Neil for a day at the polo in Windsor. She draped the blouse over a co-ordinating top and skirt, which she then paired with matching lilac accessories," she said. 

Then, just a few years later in 1983, she wore the same exact skirt suit, except she wore it in a much more formal style. 

"A couple of years later during an Australia tour the princess recycled the outfit and added a John Boyd fascinator, this time buttoning up the shirt with a pussybow for a far more demure take on the original suit," Eliza said, comparing the two looks. 

She did a similar thing with a grey Dior suit in the '90s - except she completely transformed a pair of pants into a skirt, totally modifying the look. 

These are just two of truly dozens of examples of Princess Diana breathing new life into her old clothes, helping her not only be more sustainable, but also to keep beloved pieces in your wardrobe without sacrificing an ever-changing personal aesthetic. Even Kate Middleton is constantly rewearing old wardrobe pieces nowadays, following suit in these sustainability efforts for the modern day.