Not many jobs involve five-hour deep dives for buttons in tiny vintage treasure troves nestled by the Sacré Coeur. But then working in The Crown’s costume department is not just any day job. Foraging all over the world for minute outfit details, such as the specific color of thread used for those buttons to the lining of the garment they sit on, is par for the course for costume director, Amy Roberts, and head buyer and associate costume designer, Sidonie Roberts, who spend three months sourcing the cast’s wardrobe for each season.
Cut to season six, which continues to focus on Princess Diana. Moreover, the drama wrapped up in her increasing estrangement from the royal family and, ultimately, her death. The team landed on a so-called “Diana algorithm”—a neat formula that helped them decide what the late Princess would have worn today—to help them nail a wardrobe that was relentlessly pored over by the press. “Diana’s story is [actually] very private,” explains Amy. “There are very intimate moments that we’ll never know. We have to use creative license—for example, what ads would Diana be served on her computer nowadays?—because we’re not making a documentary.”
Diana graduated from wearing double and triple sets of pearls and studs—as per royal protocol—to single strings and playful drop earrings which felt more in keeping with her modern style.
Photo: Keith Bernstein / Netflix
