Recently reopened following a massive £12,000,000 restoration project, Kensington Palace is attracting thousands of visitors through those famous gilded gates – the main draw being Diana: Glimpses of a Modern Princess, a temporary exhibition of 5 iconic dresses worn by the Princess of Wales. We went to take a look…

After queueing up to see Kate’s wedding dress on display at Buckingham Palace last summer, the prospect of visiting another royal residence for a fashion-focused exhibition was not to be missed. ‘Iconic’ may be one of those words which is constantly over-used, but seems an entirely fitting description when it comes to Princess Diana’s dresses. So many front-page photographs can instantly be recalled – many of which are remembered on the specially commissioned wallpaper designed by Julie Verhoeven, which decorates the approach to the small exhibition room.

Housed in Diana’s former home, the intimate setting itself has been designed to resemble a bedroom with dresses displayed as if hanging in wardrobes waiting to be worn. With just 5 dresses on display the exhibition is small but provides a snap-shot of Diana’s style through the 80s and 90s, and some of the designs have not been on public display before.

Curator, Deirdre Murphy said: ‘We have carefully selected this collection of exquisite dresses to illustrate to visitors Diana’s evolving style and the important role fashion played in creating her public image.’

The 5 dresses featured are an Emanuel gown in black taffeta with a sweetheart neckline which Diana wore to her first official engagement in 1981; a fuschia and purple sari-style gown designed by Catherine Walker for the 1988 tour of Thailand; the ivory twist detail gown also by Catherine Walker worn in the famous Mario Testino portrait; a beaded, monochrome dress by Bellville Sassoon Lorcan Mullany, and a Versace LBD worn to the premiere of Apollo 13 in 1995.

What strikes the observer is how easily the dresses could still be worn today. The Emanuel gown has been compared to the McQueen dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge to the Military Awards last year, whilst I’m pretty sure the Versace design made a reappearance in their collection for H&M.

Whilst the exhibition is well worth a look, it does leave you wanting more. Kensington Palace would be the perfect place for a larger scale and more permanent display of this kind.

Diana: Glimpses of a Modern Princess is open until 2nd September 2012.

The most tempting trend for SS/12 has to be candy colours. Pretty pieces in pale pink, parma violet, mint green and lemondrop yellow look good enough to eat - so go ahead and indulge! The quickest way to update your look is to pick ‘n’ mix a few choice accessories.

Astrid & Miyu founders, Connie Nam and Jenny Orlova show us how to get the look…

‘Blush is definitely our favourite pastel this spring. Pump-up your wardrobe with these blush, rose gold and pearl jewels.’

Pastels:

No Time For You Bracelet £49: ‘This simple and timeless bracelet is one of our top picks. Try it by itself or stacked with other Astrid & Miyu bracelets.’

Debutante Earrings £69: ‘Statement earrings will take you from day to evening. For the ultimate pastel ear candy try our Debutante earrings.’

Pink Lady Ring £69: ‘This over-sized rose gold ring is perfect for that cocktail party where you want to draw all attention to you.’

Big Girl Bow £24: ‘Surprisingly versatile with different hairdos – give it a try.’

Pearls:

Dripping in Pearls Collar £29: ‘Goes great with a simple long sleeve top or even a t-shirt.’

Tea With Coco Earrings £69: ‘We’d wear them with a preppy outfit to a tea party or with our hair up on a night out.’

Princess Coco Ring £24: ‘Channel the 1920s with our most popular piece – as seen in Stylist.’

Don’t forget to enter our competition! We’ve got 6 Astrid & Miyu vouchers to give away so you can treat yourself to some gorgeous new jewellery.

Which piece is going straight on your wish list?

With the London 2012 Olympics well and truly on, official souvenirs are to be found everywhere – and we’re only going to see more in the shops from here on in. But forget teddy bears, t-shirts and flags - it’s the official jewellery designer for The Games, Links of London, who’ve charmed us with their 2012 collection…

Links of London 2012 charms & charm bracelet now with 30% off in the sale!

Renowned for their extensive range of quirky silver charms, The Links of London 2012 collection features new charm designs to represent your favourite sports as well as all the best bits about a trip to London – so little table-tennis bats could jangle next to a mini London bus.

Besides charms, there are cufflinks, keyrings and wrist bands – and right now, when you buy 4 Team GB bands (pictured left, £20) you get the 5th one FREE! Pile them up your arm or share them with your friends.

We’ve already spotted the JLS boys sporting their’s. Wonder what they did with the free one?

Here at SalesGossip HQ we’re big fans of Lulu Guinness. Handbags just don’t come any more fabulously quirky than when they are disguised as a basket of flowers, a fan or a pair of big red lips – so you can imagine how excited we were to hear that a range of graphic Ts has been designed in collaboration with Uniqlo…

The collection of 12 t-shirts, featuring signature Lulu lips, cats, cameos and pearls, launches Monday 16th April 2012. Which will you choose?

Lulu Guinness t-shirts available at Uniqlo, £14.90

This spring it’s all about print – from mirrored tropical designs to ornate scarf patterns, there’s no escaping the print in printemps! And when it comes to iconic print designs, Liberty will always be the first name that springs to mind…

Renowned for their vintage floral designs, the Liberty archive is a rich source of inspiration for textile designers, and an Oriental Liberty design from 1966 has been updated by Zandra Rhodes for an exciting collaboration with high street footwear retailer, Clarks.

The S/S’12 collection of shoes, sandals, trainers, boots and bags features the original Liberty print reworked in bold blue and soft white colourways, with prices ranging from £38 – £79.

If you love Liberty and you love accessories there’s also another tasty piece of news you’ll be eager to hear…

The ground floor of the Liberty store on Great Marlborough Street has been redesigned to house 4,000 sq ft of handbag heaven! This new Accessories Emporium is set to open on 26th April 2012 – and will provide a home for the hottest handbags and jewellery around. We’re talking Coach, Lanvin, Loewe, Marc by Marc Jacobs, a world of Mulberry, and Proenza Schouler PS1 satchels in every colour imaginable. We can’t wait!

The Bank Holiday is over and it’s time to go back to work, but if only we could have one more day in our comfy pyjamas…

Rihanna has become the latest in a long line of celebrities to embrace the luxury loungewear trend, shunning a glamorous gown in favour of an equally glamorous pair of Emilio Pucci pyjamas at the premiere of Battleship last week.

Cast your mind back to being a grumpy 5 year-old and you’re bound to remember at least one instance of stamping your feet and screaming as loud as your little lungs could possibly manage until you were finally allowed to go out in your PJs, but are we really ready for pyjamas to move from the bedroom to the boardroom?

Seen on catwalks everywhere from Louis Vuitton and Celine to Diane von Furstenberg and Stella McCartney, it was only a matter of time before the trend for luxury loungewear hit the streets, but will you be heading out to work in your PJs any time soon?

A friend of mine who’s a primary school teacher recently had to attend a surprise governors meeting wearing her pyjamas after her class had a dress down for charity day. She said she felt both uncomfortable and unprofessional, but they could very well have been fleecy PJs emblazoned with a teddy bear design!

This trend isn’t about slobbing around in a onesie, or a naughty nighty for that matter – think of it as relaxed tailoring. A loose fitting silk shirt and palazzo pants might just turn out to be a chic alternative to the power suit. What do you think?

River Island Belted Jacket: was £50 now £25. Bodas Navy Pyjama Top: was £45 – £31.50. Bodas Navy Pyjama Bottoms: were £40 now £28. ASOS Patterned Jacket: was £55 now £44.

Of course, there are some people we would love to see in their PJs, so ladies if you’ve ever wondered what David Gandy wears in bed…

It’s official, even A-list film stars love a sale. A self-confessed ‘sales slut’, Claire Danes has well and truly proven herself to be a girl after our own hearts after speaking openly of her love for Prada, TOWIE and sales shopping…

Interviewed for the May edition of ASOS Magazine, the 32 year old actress said: ‘I’m a sales slut – I’m just very seduced by a sale.’ Describing her wardrobe as ‘a mixture of vintage and contemporary stuff’, Claire goes on to talk about her love of Prada and how much fun she has shopping in New York.

Having won critical acclaim for her role as CIA agent Carrie Mathison in hit US series Homeland, Claire has been no stranger to the award show circuit this year, but admits that she’s more comfortable at home watching TOWIE wearing her jeans than working the red carpet, naming J Brand and Citizens of Humanity as favourite brands. So, maybe celebrities aren’t so different from us mere mortals after all…

Sales sluts should stick together, so Claire, next time you’re in London we’d be more than happy to help you find some bargains. We know all the best places to find designer denim on sale!