The Brand Gottex Recreates Princess Diana’s Famous Leopard Swimsuit

On the beach in the 1990s, Lady Di wore leopard print like no one else. Today, it's possible to acquire the same one-piece she once sported.

Princess Diana is one of those public figures whose style served, and still serves, as fashion inspiration. Her everyday and red carpet elegance extended to the outfits she wore on her vacation beaches. The princess of hearts was particularly famous for coordinating the patterns of her sarongs with her swimsuits. One print held a special place in her preferences: leopard.

In 1990, she wore it to play on the beach with her sons William and Harry, in the presence of her mother and sister, on Richard Branson's private island. In July 1997, a few days before her passing, Diana Spencer was on vacation in Saint-Tropez with her companion, billionaire Dodi Al Fayed. Paparazzi photographed her on a jet ski, on the beach, and on a boat. She appeared in the snapshots wearing a one-piece swimsuit with a print that combines tiger and leopard motifs. It's a design from the Gottex brand, which has recently reissued the same model.

So today, it's possible to get hold of the same swimsuit as Princess Diana, or almost. While the patterns have been somewhat modernized by the brand, with the tiger motif in some places changed to a more orangish leopard print, the cut remains identical and the resemblance is striking. Gottex explains on its website that this model had been specifically designed for the Princess of Wales in the 1990s. The label is now recreating it in her honor and for the general public, priced at £200, approximately 230 euros. Gottex was a brand appreciated by the princess, and she wasn't the only one. Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Shields, Caroline of Monaco, and even Queen Elizabeth II have been customers of this brand with a unique history, launched by a Holocaust survivor.

The name Gottex is a combination of the word "textile" and the surname of its creator, Lea Gottlieb. Born in Hungary in 1918, she fled her country during World War II and immigrated to Israel with her husband and two daughters. She initially designed raincoats but realized that with nine months of sunshine per year, it wasn't suitable. Therefore, in 1956, she chose to create swimsuits, borrowed a sewing machine, and assembled designs in her apartment in Jaffa. Gradually, Gottex found success, dressed celebrities for the beach, and continued to grow.

There is even a documentary, "Mrs G," about the history of Lea Gottlieb and her company. Directed by David Kimor in 2019, it portrays an ambitious and inventive woman with a personality described as dominant, which complicated her relationships with her daughters. This brand with an intriguing history carries her name. And today, it's no longer reserved solely for royalty.