Enduring Style

By: Kristina Haugland

Nearly three decades after her death, Grace Kelly remains a bit of an enigma. Despite the considerable pressures she faced in her life—to be a proper young Catholic girl in Philadelphia, a successful movie star in ’50s Hollywood and the perfect consort of the prince of Monaco, an ancient city-state ruled by her husband’s family for 800 years—Kelly managed to keep her head, maintain her polished, elegant image, stick to the looks that worked for her and, occasionally, reveal a determined confidence and a surprisingly strong will. And, after all these years, she is still a fashion icon with endlessly enduring appeal. Her influence is reflected in innumerable red-carpet gowns, and still inspires contemporary designers from Tommy Hilfiger to Zac Posen and Janie Bryant, the costume designer for Mad Men. It’s also served as a model for thousands of brides, including Kate Middleton, and set an intimidating standard for Monaco’s new princess, Charlene. If you need more proof, there is even a series of collector’s- edition Princess Grace Barbie dolls available. Popular exhibitions of Kelly’s celebrated wardrobe—at the V&A Museum in London last year and at Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox until January 22 — demonstrate a continuing fascination with the same question that was first posed about the young actress long ago: What is it that makes Grace Kelly different? 

Kelly possessed undeniable talent and beauty, of course, but also a certain elusive quality that set her apart from her peers. In early 1955, Timemagazine identified the source of her uniqueness by quoting a Hollywood producer: “The thing that made her stand out is what we call ‘style.’” And that style, while reflected in her wardrobe, was as much about her character as her clothing. 

Born in 1929 to a wealthy but self-made Philadelphia family, Kelly was a sickly and shy child. With impressive drive and dedication, however, she pursued her dream of becoming an actress, studying in New York despite her family’s objections and working in summer theatre, in television plays and on Broadway. Although her goal was a serious stage career, in late 1952 the 22-year-old signed a contract with Hollywood’s largest studio, MGM, and quickly rocketed to stardom. Kelly’s blonde beauty could make her appear either aloofly patrician or as accessible as the girl next door—indeed, Vogue pronounced, she was both “remote as a Snow Queen” and “too wholesome to be mysterious.” She was slim, although she sometimes had to diet, and was considered tall. Her height of 5 feet 6½ inches proved a handicap early in her career, when she often auditioned in her stocking feet, but her face and figure allowed the fledgling actress to support herself by modelling. This experience taught her to objectively evaluate her good and bad points. She improved her posture to the extent that it became one of her best features. Fussy fashions, she discovered, were not for her— she looked best in under- stated clothing, off-the-face hairstyles and minimal makeup. Once she arrived in Hollywood, myriad professionals helped polish her image, but the young actress had the confidence to maintain her simple look, explaining, “I had to follow what I knew was right for me.” 

By early 1954, Kelly was being hailed as Hollywood’s brightest star and hottest property. Director Alfred Hitchcock, impressed by her talent and what he called her “sexual elegance,” declared that there was no one like her in Hollywood. After working with her on Dial M for Murder in 1953, the perfectionist director became her mentor. He showcased Kelly in his next two films, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, which also utilized the skills of famed costume designer Edith Head. Head’s designs carried out Hitchcock’s carefully crafted vision, reinforcing the cinematic plot and mood and showing the new star at her most glamorous and alluring. Her vivid on-screen image made a big impression on audiences then, and it continues to do so now: Visitors to the TIFF Bell Lightbox’s Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess exhibition, which is screening all three films, can experience Kelly’s magnetic cinematic persona for themselves, and also see a collection of objects that includes home movies, telegrams from Prince Rainier, original dresses and a replica of her storied wedding gown. 

Head and Kelly became good friends and successful collaborators; the designer credited the actress with having a great eye and great style, along with an unmatched ability to wear anything well. Their next project together, however, required them to work against these assets. In The Country Girl, Head’s wardrobe of drab housedresses and unflattering cardigans helped transform the lovely young star into the dowdy, bitter wife of an alcoholic. In March 1955, this role earned Kelly the Academy Award for best actress, adding to the numerous professional honors she received during her time in Hollywood. 

Throughout 1954 and 1955 the actress’ off-screen qualities also garnered intense interest. Her slim figure, quiet good taste and reserved manner distinguished her from the era’s typically voluptuous, flashy and publicity-hungry stars. Even the press, which delighted in romantically linking Kelly, often with little evidence, to virtually all of her leading men—including Clark Gable, Ray Milland and William Holden—described her as a lady. In early 1955, Vogue declared that was in fact “the one phase that pegs her,” while Time placed her on its cover with a caption that emphasized the attraction of her refined manner: “Gentlemen prefer ladies.” 

Kelly’s style at that time exemplified the uncluttered, classic look favoured by young, well-bred American women; indeed, Oleg Cassini, the fashion designer who was her on-and-off romantic interest in 1954 and 1955, referred to her “Bryn Mawr look,” and others described her appearance as that of “a dream schoolmistress.” Her wardrobe included subdued evening gowns and meticulously tailored suits, as well as casual clothes she made look elegant with her faultless carriage and grooming. She wore low-heeled shoes and—uniquely in Hollywood—prim white gloves that became her trademark. The near-sighted actress made no secret of her glasses, even wearing them at the Oscars. Although she was the highest-earning female star in Hollywood by the end of 1955, she bought clothes on a modest scale (in a 10, the smallest size then commonly sold) and wore them for years, explaining that her loyalty to her old clothing was the same as her loyalty to her old friends. 

Kelly garnered numerous fashion awards in recognition of her “taste, elegance and restraint.” She was named to 1954’s Best Dressed List, and the following year she tied for its top position. By this point, Kelly’s stylish simplicity had begun to influence fashion trends. In December 1955, Women’s Wear Dailywelcomed the appearance of something at once fresh and classic—the Grace Kelly Look. As the Associated Press noted, “Grace Kelly, a nice girl from a nice family, has made good taste glamorous.” 

In January, 1956, Kelly was at the height of her stardom when she stunned her friends, fans and the press with the surprise announcement that she would marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco, whom she had met the previous spring at the Cannes Film Festival. The future princess was pictured clad in an understated shirtwaist dress and white gloves, and carrying a large Hermès handbag. This oversized bag was a favourite of the actress, who owned at least two versions. The proliferation of images of her carrying it helped popularize the bag, dubbed the “Kelly” in her honour, and it quickly became a status symbol. The commonly held belief that its name originated when Kelly appeared on a magazine cover using it to disguise her pregnancy, however, is inaccurate. No such magazine cover has been found, and the photograph that sometimes accompanies the tale is not of the expectant princess but of the star on the day of her engagement announcement. The bag had already been given its name before her first pregnancy and, as countless photographs make clear, the forthright Kelly made no secret of her pregnancies once they were announced. 

During the following months, an enthralled public followed the bride-to-be as she filmed the musical High Society, purchased 40 ensembles by America’s top designers for her trousseau and sailed for Monaco in early April. A week of celebrations there culminated in two royal weddings, one civil and one religious. Both bridal ensembles were specially created by MGM studios, which filmed the wedding, and their chief costume designer, Helen Rose, who had worked with Kelly on four films and knew how to set off her famous beauty. Romantic, appropriate and becoming, the magnificently simple gown for the religious ceremony has influenced popular conceptions of bridal elegance to this day; 55 years after Grace Kelly’s wedding, another famous royal bride, Kate Middleton, looked to it to inform her choice of wedding dress. 

In her new life, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco dedicated herself to her roles as a wife and, soon, a mother. The princess redefined royal style, setting trends with her streamlined maternity clothing, some designed by Christian Dior, and by choosing baby clothes in gender-neutral yellow. Her American wardrobe was now augmented by clothes from Paris’ leading couturiers, including Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy. Although her royal position demanded more formal daywear and evening gowns, she continued to dress in the simple yet elegant fashion that she had made famous, and candidly admitted that she did not spend a lot of money on clothes and wore things longer than most people did. On a trip to New York after the birth of her third child in 1965, she unabashedly wore the nine-year-old navy-blue coat she had selected for her pre-wedding arrival in Monaco, asserting, “It’s still just as good as ever. I’m a little overweight since my baby, and it fits.” 

Princess Grace was a fashion celebrity in the ’60s, dressed by Balenciaga, Givenchy, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Bohan of Christian Dior. But while she sometimes sported elaborate coiffures or donned formal costumes for masquerade balls, she favoured casual clothes for relaxing with her family. The newest trends—miniskirts, see-through clothes and exaggerated makeup—were not for her. Although generally conservative and committed to upholding the dignity of her husband’s position, she did sometimes endorse change, dispensing with the protocol requiring women to wear hats to lunch at Monaco’s palace, for example. In her 40s and early 50s, she favored designers who understood her style and knew what was appropriate. As her children grew, the princess became more involved with charitable and artistic causes, including the Red Cross, and found a creative outlet in poetry readings and work reflecting her love of flowers. She frequently went out of her way to comfort and encourage others, from aspiring artists to Josephine Baker—whom she supported financially when the legendary performer was facing bankruptcy—and a young Diana Spencer, whom she put at ease during the future Princess of Wales’ first public appearance after her 1981 engagement. Tragically, in 1982 Kelly’s life was cut short at age 52 when she suffered a stroke at the wheel of a car. 

Grace Kelly’s classic, understated style did make her stand out, but it was about more than the clothes she wore: whatever might have gone on behind her cool exterior, she projected a consistent image of elegance, restraint and dignity. As a star, as a bride and as a princess, she remained true to what she knew was right for her, and to this day her look continues to be emulated and admired.