Grace Kelly, Princess Monaco

The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens. A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls. - grace kelly

The name grace suits her perfectly, it not only gives her the aura of a star but also the fate of a cinderella, even though the fair tale ended in untimely tragedy.

From Philadelphia to new york to hollywood to monaco, from a well mannered introvert girl of well provided family to a successful model with new found fortune of photogenic face, from an anxious and ambitious actress to an oscar awarded movie star, from a world envied royal consort to a determinedly dedicated mother of three, she carries that name gracefully, with a pair of white glove.

Since the end of 40s, for more than 20 years, with well defined figure and well cultivated demeanor, she can pull off almost any outfit and looks elegant, but her preference of soft, subtle and solid colors, her discipline in sticking to outfits of feminine shape and natural high quality fabrics, make her presence impeccable. If there should be one person representing ultimate elegance of golden hollywood, it should be grace kelly.

Sadly, as time goes by, particularly starting from late 70s, she seems slowly lose her natural born sense of style, at times the colors, shapes and textures she chooses add years to her increasing age and volume to her already matronly figure.

But we have no reason to feel sorry: what she left was much more than many women could dream of in more than one life time.

For Grace Kelly's full biography on elegancepedia, click here.

THE FACE

12 november 1929, Philadelphia USA - 14 september 1982, Monaco

THE FIGURE

12 november 1929, Philadelphia USA - 14 september 1982, Monaco, elegancepedia

height / taille / altezza / alto / Größe / 高さ / 高度: 169 cm / 5'7"

weight / poids / peso / Gewicht / 重量: 53.5kg

chest / poitrine / busto / pechos / brustumfang / バスト / 胸围: 86A

waist / taille / vita / talle / Taillenweite /ウエスト周囲 / 腰围: 61cm

hip / bassin / fianchi / caldera / Hüftumfang / 股関節周囲 / 臀围: 89cm

shoe size / chaussure / calzature / calzado / Schuhgröße / 靴のサイズ / 鞋码: US / EU 38 / UK

THE MANNER

Grace Kelly looks and behaves like a princess before she becomes one, the way she stands, sits, holds flowers, drinks tea, pets a dog or even laughs whole heartedly, all have a refined feel that belongs to only someone with long term deliberate cultivation.

THE MOVEMENT

Even when she moves, she manages to keep her grace.

THE STYLE

the dress: dresses with v neck or boat neck bodice to elongate or accentuate the long slim neck of Grace Kelly, in neutral black, white and earthy tone, or occasionally patterned, only with flowers, always past knee, almost always stopping at calf, the most elegant length.

the skirt: when she wears skirt, the silhouette dances from ballerina full circle to natural A line or more defined pencil shape.

the pant: As one of the few women who looks elegant even in pants, she does wear them, but again with principle: high waisted, belted to accentuate her wasp waist, straight or slightly tapered, to show her well shaped legs discreetly. Sometimes she will be a little bit bold, wearing capri pants that wrap around her like glove.

the pearl: she is a woman of pearl, from necklace to earrings to bracelet, the soft shine and delicate shape of pearl transmits and strengthen her inborn princess quality. she even visited a pearl factory in Majorca Spain once in 1961.

The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens.
A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls.
- grace kelly

the scarf: she loves scarves, she uses them as hair protection, head framer, as well as pant decoration, even as sling for a broken arm.

the hat: her love of wide brimmed hat is none compromising, which even caused her long lasting complaint from Monacan journalists and citizens when she first arrived in Monaco wearing one, because they could not see her face.

the sunglass: and then, the sunglasses, that add the final touch of glamour.

The designers

related to

Artworks

Mogambo (1953)

Mogambo(1953) film trailer

Dial M for Murder / Le crime était presque parfait (1954)

Dial M for Murder (1954) film trailer

Rear Window/Fenêtre sur cour (1954)

Rear Window(1954) film trailer

The Country Girl /Une Fille de la province(1954)

The Country Girl film trailer

To Catch a Thief/La Main a collet (1955)

To catch a Thief(1955) film trailer

The Swan/Le Cygne (1956)

The Swan(1956) film trailer

High Society/ Haute Société (1956)

High Society(1956) film trailer

Articles

Websites

English:

Videos:

Movies

Full movie Dial M for Murder

Academy Award winners Grace Kelly and Ray Milland star with RobertCummings in one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest thrillers--Dial M forMurder.When playboy tennis pro Tony Wendice (Milland--The Lost Weekend)discovers his rich wife, Margot (Kelly--Rear Window, To Catch a Thief),is having an affair with handsome American Mark Hallidy (Cummings--TheCarpetbaggers), he devises an ingenious plot to murder her. But when hisscheme takes an unexpected, deadly twist, Tony improvises--implicatingMargot for first degree murder in this classic spellbinder.

Movie trailer: Grace of Monaco, by Nicole Kidman

Documentaries

English:
Secrets Of Grace Kelly: The Hollywood Years - Royal Documentary Grace Kelly went from bit-parts to Alfred Hitchcock's muse. Biographers and journalists recall her ascent, which led to Hollywood's highest peaks, and saw her awarded an Oscar.

English:
Complete reportage of Grace Kelly's wedding in 1956

English:
Grace Kelly's story is told in home movies and clips from films like High Noon, Dial M For Murder, Rear Window, To Catch A Thief, and High Society. Also seen, touching and revealing glimpses from the magnificent wedding to the tragic end. Actors Jimmy Stewart, Louis Jourdan, Alec Guinness, Katy Jurado, with directors, producers, friends and Grace’s sister, Lizanne, tell of the beautiful star who made the world her stage.

English:

Discovering Grace Kelly

English:

Lifetime television's "Intimate Portrait" documentary series continues with Grace Kelly: movie star and Princess of Monaco. Her story is told through rare photos, newsreel footage, and interviews with those who knew her. Although Grace Kelly came from a privileged background, she made many sacrifices throughout her life-- to please her family, to please the movie studios, and finally, to fulfill her obligations in the unfamiliar role as the Princess of a foreign land. Her life was tragically cut short by an automobile accident, but not before she left a cultural legacy to the world. Grace Kelly reigned as one of Hollywood's brightest stars before she took on her role as the wife of Prince Rainer of Monaco. She appeared in many commercials, over 60 television shows, and 11 films, including her Academy Award winning role in "THE COUNTRY GIRL" and others such as "HIGH NOON", "TO CATCH A THEIF", "REAR WINDOW" and "DIAL M FOR MURDER". "Intimate Portraits" reveals many aspects of Princess Grace's childhood, acting career, romances as well as her life after becoming Princess Grace. There are rare photos and home movies of Grace as a young girl and several interviews exist in which her co-stars, agents and friends talk about Grace Kelly. There is extensive material covering the wedding between Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer of Monaco. "Intimate Portraits" will also highlight Princess Grace's life as she raised her three children, brought cultural events to Monaco, and hosted countless celebrities and dignitaries around the world. It will also give some insight to the difficulties she faced as Princess. She struggled to be accepted as an American in Monaco, gave up her acting career at her husband's wishes, and learned to embrace her husband's interests, which often differed from her own.