Princess Diana's 'Travolta Dress' Meets Its White House Counterpart in New California Exhibition
Princess Diana's memorable dance with John Travolta will be revived once again as her iconic outfit goes on display.
There are few who have made a mark on fashion history the way Princess Diana did. From trendy to timeless, the style icon set unmatched sartorial precedents every time she stepped out for an event. One of her most iconic outfits, the ‘Travolta Dress,’ is set to go on display at a new exhibition, Princess Diana: Love Life Legacy - A Life of Giving in Simi Valley, California.
The new exhibition will showcase many artifacts of the People’s Princess, including handwritten letters, childhood items, and stunning outfits. The centerpiece of the show is naturally the magnificent Victor Edelstein dress that Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985. The midnight-blue, off-shoulder, floor-length evening gown has since garnered the moniker, ‘Travolta Dress,’ etching a beautiful moment forever in the hearts of royal fans.
The mermaid-style dress was acquired by Historic Royal Palaces in 2019 and is being loaned to the exhibition. While the display itself is exciting, another aspect of the showcase makes it a truly nostalgic experience. The iconic "Travolta Dress" will finally reunite with the beaded white gown worn by Nancy Reagan at the same event. “Seeing the two dresses together, like those two iconic women on the stairs of the White House, will be very exciting,” Renae Plant of the Princess Diana Museum told PEOPLE.
The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Princess Diana Museum and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI), will run from November 7, 2026, to May 2027. “It is a full circle moment to bring this dress to the Reagan Library and place it next to the dress Mrs. Reagan wore, alongside the state dinner invitation and menu card,” Melissa Giller, Chief Marketing and Cultural Programming Officer of the RRPFI, said.
Talking about the iconic dance between Diana and Travolta, Giller said, “During the state dinner, as was customary, President Reagan had a dance with Princess Diana. (A Reagan staffer) had John Travolta tap the president on the shoulder and ask to cut in. As soon as John Travolta and the Princess joined together in dance, the Marine Band struck up ‘Staying Alive,’ creating this iconic moment in history.”
Along with the ‘Travolta Dress,’ Diana’s wedding shoes, the black sheep sweater, the ‘caring dress,’ the honeymoon hat, and the blue polka-dotted dress she wore to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s wedding, will also be on display.
