A self-described fashion detective who has a treasure trove of second-hand designer garments reveals how she sold of more than 100 pieces found in an abandoned storage container to the makers of The Crown.
Chiara Menage, 54, who lives in central London, runs Menage Modern Vintage, an online clothing boutique which caught the eye of Amy Roberts, the costume designer for the Netflix hit.
Dozens of her authentic vintage pieces ended up on the stars of season four, in particular Emma Corrin s Princess Diana and Erin Doherty s Princess Anne.
Some of the more memorable outfits include the chic pale yellow Hardy Amies ensemble she wore for a lunch with love rival Camilla Parker Bowles, and the floral Liberty dress she had on when Prince Charles proposed.
Emma Corrin as Princess Diana on The Crown, wearing a Liberty print dress
Credit: Netflix
I’ve always been unbearably nosy about other people’s wardrobes. If I spot someone in a beautiful dress or a vintage coat I immediately want to know what else they have hanging in their closet (invite me to dinner parties at your peril). Visiting stately homes has never held much allure, given the best bit – the dressing room – is usually either empty or roped off.
That’s why I think Chiara Menage has one of the best jobs in London. A self-described vintage clothes detective, her best police work to date has been hunting down pieces for the most recent season of
, triggering a revival in the late Princess s most memorable looks. While always a fashion icon, revered with the likes of Jackie O, the hit series chronicling Charles and Diana s relationship and dubbed The Diana Years has brought her 80s and 90s pieces back into vogue. The Sun newspaper reports more than 29 million viewers tuned in when it was released, the key glamour role played hauntingly well by Emma Corrin. And it s not just Diana s relationship with Charles that people are critiquing. It s her fashion. Think pilgrim collars, power suits and kitsch jumpers. Fashion critics believe it was Diana s visibility as a royal that cemented her status as a fashion icon - an influential path that her daughter-in-law Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is also making her own.