Grace Kelly’s Life and Fashion: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Hollywood actress turned royal princess – this is how most people remember who Grace Kelly was. She once bagged a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nomination which truly makes her one of the most popular and most prominent actresses in her time. Grace Kelly had lived a colorful life; depicted in black and white photos from both the Hollywood and royal archives. In this article, we would love to take you with us as we reminisce Grace Kelly’s colorful life and her major contributions to fashion.
Grace Kelly’s Reputable Family
Grace Kelly’s life isn’t entirely comparable to Cinderella. She is definitely not one of those who went from rags to riches because Grace Kelly was actually born from a very influential and prominent household. Born on the 12th of November 1929 in Pennsylvania, Grace grew up in a very well-off family. Her father is a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist for sculling and a successful businessman in the field of construction. Grace’s mother on the other hand, is a well-respected Physical Education teacher and coach at the University of Pennsylvania prior to marrying Grace Kelly’s father. She is also the niece of George Kelly, an award-winning dramatist, screenwriter and director. Having such reputable family background, Grace Kelly seemed to have her bright future waiting for her.
Style Clips: Her beauty is quite undeniable! Grace’s mother is said to have very notable features, and she even modeled during her youth – this truly shows that beauty runs in the family. As early as the age of 12, Grace Kelly already embraces a classic bob with defined curls which becomes her signature hairstyle later on.
HOLLYWOOD: A Golden Dream
Grace Kelly is a very well-received actress in Hollywood’s Golden Age. But before all the lights shone down on her, she really worked her way up to celebrity fame despite her parents’ disapproval. To start pursuing her dreams of being an actress, she auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and was later accepted. It is said that her uncle, George Kelly’s influence, played a huge role in starting off her entertainment career. Despite rumors, Grace Kelly proved that she’s more than just a pretty face – she took America by storm when she starred in the film Mogambo with Clark Gable.
Style Clips: Grace Kelly’s rise to stardom began in the film Mogambo. The movie sets in a remote African outpost which made Grace wear boyish-looking, high-waist coordinates that resembles her “safari” image. Her casual but elegant-looking fashion style made its way to a lot of women in her time and is still considered fashionable until this day.
After starring in Mogambo, Hollywood opened a lot of doors to her acting career. She then starred in American box office films including High Noon (1952), The Country Girl (1954), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955) and High Society (1956).
Starring in several blockbuster Hollywood films, Grace Kelly truly earned a respectable reputation in the entertainment industry. With her prim and proper character and sophisticated image, Grace really set herself as a fashion icon as well.
MARRIAGE & POLITICAL INFLUENCE
Being quite an influential public figure in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Grace Kelly has been a common face in high society gatherings. She represented USA for the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 and during her stay, she got invited to the Palace of Monaco where she met Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of the principality.
She then developed a more personal and private connection to the prince while she was filming for The Swan. On April 18, 1956, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III got married in which the media has labeled, “The Wedding of the Century”.
Source: telegraph
Style Clips: As if the entire wedding wasn’t a fairytale of its own, Grace Kelly wore a conservatively elegant wedding gown with lace appliqués. The body-fitting gown, despite not showing too much skin, truly accented Grace’s very slim physique and defined waist.
Source: telegraph
Princess Grace Kelly’s royal fashion is astoundingly remarkable. From French-designed long coats to bow-accented dresses, she truly proved that Hollywood and royalty is a fashion mix made in heaven. She still flaunted her signature bob that tucks sleek waves which she popularized back when she’s still in the Hollywood scene.
FASHION IDEAS
Source: pinterest & stylewe
High-waist straight cut trousers are the thing of the early 50s. Hollywood celebrities, including Grace Kelly herself flaunted their slim figures and tiny waists by putting a belt on their high-waist pants. The iconic outfit is still very much wearable until today, but if you want to give it a more casual and comfortable feeling, a loose white top would perfectly match your high-waist trousers – regardless of the trousers’ cut and color!
Source: stylewe & Photo from the film Rear Window
One of Grace Kelly’s most popular portraits is her shoot from one of her films “Rear Window”. The shoulder-wide V-neck made its big debut in the entire fashion scene wherein it was described as elegantly sensual. V-neck dresses have always been a constant fashion favorite for many women and Grace Kelly is one of those notable celebrities that proved how timeless formal V-neck pieces can be. There’s a ton of V-neck dresses available out there but it is a must-have that you at least have one V-neck dress in the color black. It’s classic and timeless – just like how Grace Kelly pulled it off!
Source: stylewe
Ribbons and capes simply define “princess fashion” on their own. Grace Kelly wore her own classic piece of ribbon cape dress in one of her meetings with Prince Rainier IsII and she looked extremely stunning in it. True enough, the dress she wore is a sign that she’s ready take her royal crown! Today, finding a dress similar to what Grace Kelly wore can be a bit of a struggle. Plus, its bow and cape design partnered with a long sheet of fabric can be a bit too dramatic. Fret not, you can still steal her style today! Ribbon and cape mini dresses can be your very best option to release the princess in you!
Grace Kelly lived a short but very colorful life. From her golden contributions in the silver screen to her philanthropic duties as a princess, she showed how to live a life worthwhile and in style. She may have left the world a bit early at the age of 52, but her legacy lives on forever.
