Grace Kelly’s iconic wardrobe on display in style exhibition

THE wardrobe of actress and once Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, goes on display at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum from tomorrow.

The exhibition, entitled Grace Kelly: Style Icon, will look at the fashion sense of the celebrated actress and tragic princess, whose name is shorthand for flawless sophistication.

Stretching from her movie star debut in the 1950s through her wedding to Prince Ranier of Monaco and into her glamorous, secluded life in the 1970s, the exhibition also tells the story of a dramatic shift in international fashion.

In the 1960s, as youth culture perpetrated a new, racier brand of femininity, Kelly remained a lady, integrating casual pieces into her wardrobe in a way that appealed across generations.

Kelly was also committed to her fashion beliefs.

Working with the actress in the 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock was persuaded to accommodate Kelly’s sensibility to create costumes for his Dial M For Murder. In the climactic scene, Hitchcock had planned for Kelly to wear a red velvet dress, but she argued that a nightgown would be the most realistic choice for the middle-of-the-night setting. She prevailed.