Grace Kelly: style Icon
In her blog creative salvage.com Juliet Bawden describes the Princes Grace Style Icon exhibition starting at the V&A tomorrow
Grace Kelly Photograph by Erwin Blumenfeld New York, 1955. © The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld 2009
The spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly, popular 1950′s actress later princess of Monaco, is on display at the V&A. If you are into retro fashion and particularly the 1950′s and 60′s you will love this exhibition. If you like your 50′s a bit kitsch and Cath Kidston, and your 60′s mini skirts and Pucci designs then you will not like this exhibition.
Grace Kelly was the epitome of understated glamour, an ambassador for classic simple American fashions such as shirt waist dresses. Shirt waist dresses are notoriously difficult to pull off as a look, unless you are slender and tall. Grace Kelly was 5′ 7”. She was known for her impeccable ladylike accessories and fondness for neat hats and short white gloves.Many of her accessories are on display including the original Hermes ‘Kelly bag’.
The exhibition is divided into three sections. ‘The actress’ looks at Grace Kelly’s acting career and her film costumes. Three costumes by the designer Helen Rose, from the film ‘High Society’ are on show, including a Grecian -style bathing robe and an embroidered chiffon evening gown. As well as costumes there are film clips and original film posters from the period.The next section of the display , ‘The Bride’, presents the dress Grace Kelly wore for the announcement of her engagement to Prince Rainier of Monaco and the clothes designed for her trousseau and dazzling wedding of 1956. In May 1955 Paris Match arranged a photo shoot to publicise the attendance of Grace Kelly at the Cannes Film Festival. The shoot was to be of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. On display is the dress that the press describe as ‘Dior inspired’, which was in fact ‘an easy to sew’ outfit from a McCall’s pattern book. Grace Kelly had modelled for McCall’s in her modelling days before she became famous as an actress.
The pattern
The final section of the exhibition is ‘The Princess ‘, showing the development of Grace Kelly’s style in her new role as Princess of Monaco. It presents haute couture outfits created by Parisian couturiers for her royal engagements. Spanning the 1950s,’60s and’70s there are dresses by Christian Dior, an opulant beaded jacket by Balenciaga, the striking ‘Mondrian Dress’ by Yves Saint Laurent in 1965 and two- piece suits by Coco Chanel together with jewellery by Van Cleef and Arpels. The exhibition runs from17thApril to 26th September at V&A Admission is £6 and advance booking can be made on line at www.vam.ac.uk
