The Eternal Style of Grace Kelly

The rare beauty and stunning self-possession that propelled Grace Kelly into the Hollywood pantheon, onto the Best-Dressed List, and ultimately to Monaco’s royal palace were more than captivating—they were completely genuine. As London’s Victoria and Albert Museum unveils an exhibition devoted to Kelly’s style, which still inspires fashion from Hermès to Tommy Hilfiger to Mad Men’s costumer Janie Bryant, the author looks at the intertwined qualities of an icon: white-gloved ingénue, elegant goddess, passionate—and frankly sexual—romantic.

By VF

Glory Be to Grace

A month before her big Oscar win, the Philadelphia Museum of Art awarded singer Marian Anderson, Kelly, and conductor Eugene Ormandy (to Kelly’s left) special distinctions for “giving glory to the arts.” Again, Kelly adorned herself with fresh flowers, this time in a corsage of orchids.

From Rue des Archives/the Granger Collection, New York.

Pure Confection

It’s unfortunate that the designer of the Philadelphia dress is unknown; whoever dreamed up this lace number clearly ranks among the era’s greatest costumers, with Head and Helen Rose. Though the pattern here is intricate, the cut is simple and straightforward in Kelly’s characteristically elegant way.

Courtesy of the Consulate General of Monaco, New York.

The Country-Club Girl

When Kelly and Monaco’s Prince Rainier III announced their engagement at the Philadelphia Country Club, in January 1956, many of Kelly’s friends were surprised: the two had only known each other for a few months.

From Snap/Rex Features/courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Simple Style

The announcement of the engagement and the prospect of a famous American actress’s becoming a real-life princess set off a whirlwind of press. Rainier and Kelly made a pre-nuptial social tour, attending a ball in New York City where Kelly’s Christian Dior gown was a conversation piece. The standout from those dates, though, was this rich, easy dress, which she wore to that Philadelphia luncheon.

Courtesy of the Consulate General of Monaco, New York.

Simple Style

The announcement of the engagement and the prospect of a famous American actress’s becoming a real-life princess set off a whirlwind of press. Rainier and Kelly made a pre-nuptial social tour, attending a ball in New York City where Kelly’s Christian Dior gown was a conversation piece. The standout from those dates, though, was this rich, easy dress, which she wore to that Philadelphia luncheon.

Courtesy of the Consulate General of Monaco, New York.

Halcyon Lace

This close-up of the civil-ceremony dress displays the exquisite detailing that went into Kelly’s clothes. One of Kelly’s style virtues was that she appreciated and wore designs for their quality, not their cost, and wouldn’t turn up her nose at a gown lacking couture pedigree.

Courtesy of the Consulate General of Monaco, New York.

Pomp and Polish

One icon begets another: Kelly’s frequent use of Hermès’s haut à courroies bag—most notably to shield her first pregnancy from the paparazzi—led the leather purse to be dubbed the “Kelly” bag, a tag that remains today. And her sunglasses are still en vogue; in the summertime, downtown Manhattan is brimming with those frames.

From Dalmas/Sipa Press

The Fad Hatter

It’s hard now to appreciate the importance of millinery in Kelly’s age—as an expression of fashion and taste, regardless of utilitarian function. Some Monegasque elite whispered that Kelly’s hats were too flamboyant for the palace.

Courtesy of the Consulate General of Monaco, New York.

Presidential Company

What a meeting of style and substance! The Prince and Princess took a little lunch at the White House in 1961, the same year Kelly was inducted into the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame and Jacqueline Kennedy debuted on the annual list.

From Bettmann/Corbis.

Fit to Be Tied

Hubert de Givenchy reigned supreme at the time, dressing women such as Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn in his couture. This, well, Kelly-green wool shift was appropriate for a stately daytime affair with the president and First Lady.

Courtesy of the Consulate General of Monaco, New York.

Earth Angel

The cover of “Grace Kelly Style” features Kelly in an Oleg Cassini dress that she wore at a shoot for Cosmopolitan. Before she met Prince Rainier, Kelly was briefly engaged to Cassini, who helped develop the flattering cuts and styles that would come to be known as her style.

© The Estate of Erwin Bluemfeld, 2009/courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.