David Sassoon, Jewish couturier to Princess Diana, dies aged 92
Sassoon co-led Belville Sassoon, dressed Jewish high society, and donated his royal archive to Historic Royal Palaces
David Sassoon, the British couturier who dressed Princess Diana and generations of royal women, had died aged 92.
His death was confirmed to WWD by Dame Zandra Rhodes, a close friend and fellow designer.
Sassoon, who was born in London in 1932 to Iraqi Sephardi Jewish parents, co-led the couture house Belville Sassoon for over five decades. He designed more than 70 outfits for Princess Diana, including her going-away outfit after her 1981 wedding, maternity coats, and some of her most iconic evening gowns.
“He always designed glamour without ever shouting about it,” Rhodes said. “She [Princess Diana] always looked perfectly dressed.”
Sassoon’s Jewish identity remained central throughout his life and work. “Jewish traditions played an enormous part in the clothes I designed,” he said in a 2023 interview, recalling his many commissions for Jewish weddings and bar mitzvahs. He was the only living designer featured in Fashion City, the Museum of London Docklands exhibition highlighting Jewish contributions to British fashion.
His first royal commission came in 1960, when he was asked to design a bridesmaid dress for Princess Anne. He often recalled entering Buckingham Palace through the tradesman’s entrance and accidentally stepping into a corgi’s water bowl while bowing to the Queen Mother.
Sassoon joined Belinda Bellville’s fashion house in 1958 and helped shape its success with both aristocratic and Jewish high-society clients. After Belville retired in the early 1980s, he ran the business with designer Lorcan Mullany until retiring in 2012.
Fashion historian Bethan Holt said Sassoon “shaped Diana’s image as a fairy-tale princess for the modern era”, combining royal tradition with a modern edge.
His archive, including design sketches and press material for Princess Diana, was donated to Historic Royal Palaces. “He designed for all the women of the royal family, apart from the late Queen Elizabeth, and kept careful records to avoid clashes,” said curator Eleri Lynn.
Sassoon continued to mentor young designers and support the Fashion and Textile Museum well into his retirement.
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