They Had Style They Had Grace...

Grace Kelly is the epitome of glamour... She even has an Hermes bag named after her.

On April 17, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London will open a three-part exhibit centering around the iconic actress and Princess.  The exhibit will feature numerous pieces of clothing worn by Grace, jewellery and other memorabilia.

Part One: The Actress

To Catch a Thief is definitely one of my favourite movies.  Grace Kelly is a vixen, who has no trouble driving her Sunbeam-Talbot Alpine Sports Mk I roadster around the coastline.  Kelly was one of Hitchcock's muses (also appearing in Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder and Rear Window) and there's no mystery why... she plays the part of the elegant damsel in distress perfectly, while injecting her intelligent and sophisticated nature into every character she plays.  


Part Two: The Bride

Grace Kelly's wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco is without a doubt, the biggest wedding of all time.  It trumps Diana & Charles, and dare I say it, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.  Her dress is iconic, and is often imitated by designers like Monique Lhuillier and Galliano.  No celebrity or Bridezilla can pull off lace the way Grace does.  She is the picture of poise, yet for some reason is haunting.  The photos have a ghostlike quality to them... probably because of the tragedy of her life that follows the wedding. 


Part Three: The Princess

Exactly nine months and four days after the wedding, they welcomed their first child, Caroline.  Gambling ceased, a national holiday was declared and champagne was free-flowing throughout the principality.  They went on to have two more children.  


Tragically, Grace Kelly died in 1982, while driving on a cliffside, she suffered from a stroke and drove off the mountainside.  It was rumoured that she was driving along the same stretch of road from her film, To Catch a Thief, but no one has ever confirmed it.


Grace leaves us a legacy of style.  Some people emulate Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn, for me, I always ask myself... what would Grace do?  Sounds crazy, but I can honestly admit that nearly every style choice can be attributed to Grace's elegant and understated style.  She oozes glamour.

My wardrobe and handbag collection won't be complete until I own a Hermes Kelly bag.  Since the 50's... these bags have adorned the arms of notable celebrities.  It's not for label or namesake... I just want to have that piece that symbolizes my idol... and like a good suit, they never go out of style. 

The exhibit has numerous couture gowns from designers like YSL, Balenciaga, Oscar de la Renta and Dior.  With Chanel suits and some of Grace's jewellery collection, the exhibit will be pure eye candy for any fashion lover, or fan of the actress. 

I wish I could fly to London just for the exhibit... in the meantime, I will wait until the book celebrating the exhibit will hit shelves in Canada...

... I definitely want this book on my coffee table.