Lady Di's iconic Peruvian Alpaca Sweater

Source: Daily Mirror

A pink alpaca sweater that put Peru in the eyes of the world. All thanks to Princess Diana. The garment was remembered in the fourth season of "The Crown"

Two months before becoming Princess Diana, Diana Spencer posed in a pink Peruvian alpaca sweater in the company of her fiancé, Prince Charles of England. The setting: Balmoral Castle, circa May 1981,
"Inca, The Peruvian Shop" was the store in London where Princess Diana acquired the piece that, shortly after, became a fashion statement that she would treasure as part of her iconic looks and it also made the world lay eyes on Peru.

Princess Diana came to the Peruvian store to choose an alpaca sweater called 'Santa Rosa', handmade by artisans from Puno and valued at £ 5.75 at the time (about $ 8), commented Luisa Porras, who had made the decision to create this space in collaboration with her mother, who from Lima was in charge of choosing and shipping each of the art pieces housed in this magical Peruvian shop, located in the heart of London. Diana of Wales paid for the sweater with a check signed on February 4, 1981, and things were never the same again, neither for Diana nor for Luisa.

Before Diana's memorable visit, the store was already known thanks to an editorial published by Vogue magazine in which models of the time wore the coveted garments of the Inca country. Shortly after the acquisition of the future wife of Prince Charles and thanks to the memorable photos, the store sold around 400 pieces.

So great was the alpaca sweater's popularity that it became what we would now call a trending topic. Inca became a trendy, casual, but very chic space, especially for the young women at the time, and what caused that visit was a phenomenon that they would never have imagined.

The cutting-edge elegance that accompanied Lady Diana throughout her life made her an inspiring fashion icon.