Grace Kelly: Style Icon

17 April - 26 September 2010

This exhibition shows the spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly, one of the most popular actresses of the 1950s.

Featuring dresses from her films including High Society and Rear Window, as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar in 1955, the display will examine Grace Kelly's glamorous Hollywood image and induring appeal.

It will also explore the evolution of her style as Princess Grace of Monaco, from the outfit she wore to her first meeting with Prince Rainier in 1955 to her haute couture gowns of the 1960s and '70s by her favourite couturiers Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Yves St Laurent.

This exhibition explores Grace Kelly's enduring appeal as a style icon, it features her film costumes, the much-publicised dresses made for her trousseau and wedding, and the French haute couture - a different kind of costume - that she required for her subsequent role as Princess of Monaco.

"The thing that made her stand out is what we call 'style'.
McCall's magazine, 1955"

When people think of Grace Kelly (1929-82), one of the most photographed women of the 20th century, what they usually recall is her beauty and elegance. She rose to fame as an actress in the 1950s, starring in films by Hitchcock and others. Her image was cultivated by the movie industry, which fed cinema-goers' growing appetite for pictures of glamorous stars through magazines and newspapers...

>> More on Inside The Exhibition

For more information please visit V&A
www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/gracekelly/