Princess Di: Clotheshorse

Diana, the Fashion Princess by Davina Hanmer and Tim Graham (Holt, Rinehart and Winston: $8.95).

“Diana” is a glorious celebration of possibly the world’s favorite fashion personality. While most of its large, nicely reproduced photos are by Graham, the book’s 180 color photographs also include “official” pictures as well as a few reprinted from various publications. All in all, it’s a dazzling and rather complete collection with two exceptions: the famous pre-wedding shots of Lady Diana Spencer revealing that she forgot to wear a slip (the photo in which her bare legs showed through a dress) and the equally infamous shot of her showing considerable bosom in a black taffeta ball gown. That these pictures, which are at least as memorable as those from her wedding and other formal rites, were not included suggests possibly a strange self-censorship on the part of the book’s creators or that the book was produced with the blessing (and restrictions) of the Royal Family.