Fashion designer Jacques Azagury had known Princess Diana for ten years when she passed away. Reflecting on their final collaboration in August 1997, he said she was “the best and happiest I had ever seen her.”

This last dress—which Diana planned to wear to a Disney film premiere in September, had she lived—would have been the boldest of the boundary-pushing designs Azagury created for her in her final years. These five iconic dresses, known as the “Famous Five,” were all worn around the time her divorce from Prince Charles was finalized in August 1996, symbolizing her new life as a single woman. They represented a freedom in style she couldn’t have embraced as a working royal.

While the Famous Five are well-known, the story of a sixth dress—the “Final Goodbye Dress,” created just before her death—has remained private until now.

“We didn’t really talk about it,” Azagury tells Vogue, explaining why it was kept hidden. “Even when I gave talks or participated in exhibitions, I never showed that dress.”

He doesn’t refer to August 31, 1997, as the day Diana died—instead, he calls it “when she left.” When asked if the dress was too painful to discuss all these years, he pauses before answering, “I just feel it was very personal to me.” Now, however, he’s ready to share its story.

Azagury first met Diana in 1987 while working on his second fashion collection. British Vogue editor Anna Harvey, who mentored Diana’s style throughout her royal years, introduced them. “Of course, I was dumbstruck,” he recalls, “but within seconds, she put me at ease.”

A few weeks later, the palace called, saying Diana wanted to visit his atelier. She had seen a black velvet dress with blue stars from his collection—one she later wore and which sold for $1.1 million in 2023, far exceeding its estimated value. “That was our very first meeting,” Azagury says. “And from then on, we had a great relationship—right up until two days before she left for Paris.”

Over their decade-long collaboration, Azagury designed about 20 dresses for Diana. But the Famous Five, he says, were when he “achieved the look I wanted for her.” These designs modernized her image, beginning with the Venice Dress in June 1995—a red silk georgette two-piece worn at a Serpentine Gallery fundraiser.

Three months later, she wore the long black Bashir Dress in London, then again at a Cancer Research Ball in New York that December. In her final summer, she chose the ice-blue Swan Lake Dress for a ballet performance in June 1997, followed by the red Washington Dress at a Red Cross gala in D.C. that same month.

For her 36th birthday—her last—Diana wore Azagury’s black lace 36th Birthday Dress to the Tate Gallery on July 1, 1997. It was the final evening gown she wore publicly before her tragic death two months later.

Of course, no one knew that summer would be her last. Diana was still making plans—The “Final Goodbye Dress” was a black silk georgette gown—Princess Diana’s favorite color, as designer Jacques Azagury recalls. Adorned with delicate bugle beads, it featured a plunging neckline, a high slit, and a dramatic train.

“We wanted this dress to be truly Hollywood,” Azagury said. He began working on it just three weeks before her passing, with the final fitting taking place less than a week before her tragic death. “It looked stunning on her—cut very low in the front, more daring than usual. This was meant to be the dress that outshone all the others, and she looked absolutely breathtaking.”

The gown was nearly finished, except for the straps, which remain pinned to this day—as if waiting for Diana to return for that last adjustment. “We kept expecting her to come back,” Azagury said. “But sadly, as we know, she never did.”

Reflecting on Diana 28 years later, Azagury remembers her warmth and humor. Their fittings were relaxed—sometimes at the palace, other times at his Knightsbridge boutique. Interestingly, he never designed a dress exclusively for her; each piece came from his existing collections, though colors might change and every detail was tailored to perfection.

“I made sure everything was flawless because I knew she’d be photographed from every angle,” he said. “She trusted me completely.” Over their decade-long collaboration, Azagury watched Diana transform from the reserved “Shy Di” into a confident woman. “Her posture, her look, her confidence—everything changed dramatically.”

Their last phone call was brief, but the final fitting stood out. “It was around 11 a.m., and her hair was still tousled—unusual for her, since she was always picture-perfect,” he recalled. Diana even playfully demonstrated a catwalk walk, inspired by photographer Mario Testino. “That’s the kind of fun we shared.”

Though Azagury keeps their final conversations private, he reflects on the dress as a symbol: “It represents the end of her life—her glamour, her essence, and the unfinished story she left behind.”The dress stood there, waiting for her to return and slip into it, to continue her life. But that moment never came. It’s truly heartbreaking.

Losing Princess Diana was indescribable, as Azagury reflects: “However you look at it, Diana was a phenomenon. She was loved worldwide—wherever you went, people knew her name. Everyone felt they had lost someone special.” Beyond her charitable work, both during and after her royal years, Azagury adds, “People still miss her fashion. She took such joy in getting ready, and the world eagerly awaited her next outfit. She never disappointed, especially in those later years.”

The “Famous Five” dresses and the unfinished “Final Goodbye Dress” now form a complete collection at the virtual Princess Diana Museum, founded by Renae Plant in 2014. The museum houses over 100 of Diana’s belongings, including clothing, letters, accessories, and childhood memorabilia. After meeting Azagury in 2019, Plant learned about the hidden final dress. When he retired in 2023, she reached out, and he immediately agreed: “Renae, I’d love for you to preserve it in The Princess Diana Museum.”

Azagury felt strongly about keeping the dresses together as a cohesive story. “I wanted them to stay united—something that might not have happened at auction,” he explains. “Though I could have earned more selling them separately, I was happy Renae, a devoted collector, would keep them intact.”

When it came to the final dress, he thought, “Why not let her have it? It would just sit unseen in my home. This feels like the right ending.”

Plant’s mission with the museum is to reunite Diana’s scattered belongings. “My goal has always been to bring these pieces back together,” she says. “I’m honored Azagury trusted me with them—it felt meant to be.”

By fall 2026, Plant hopes to launch a physical exhibition, starting in California before touring the U.S. and eventually the world, ending in the U.K. “These pieces deserve to be seen in person,” she says. “The Final Goodbye Dress is breathtaking—a true work of art. You can imagine the sensation she would have caused wearing it.”

Though Azagury has dressed countless celebrities and leaders, Diana remains unforgettable.”Of all the people I’ve met, the only one who truly excited me every single time was Princess Diana,” he says. He describes the Princess of Wales as “always absolutely delightful and a joy to work with. No matter what was happening in her life, being with her was always a happy moment.”