Rear Window, Dial M for Murder and To Catch a Thief.

These are not 3 random movies; they all star Miss Grace Kelly, actress, princess and icon!

© The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld 2009

Born into an Irish catholic family from Philadelphia in 1929, Grace Kelly always wanted to become an actress despite her relatives’ disapproval. She put herself through drama school by being a model for Coke and Colgate advertisements. A few years later, Grace was given a part on TV and then made her first appearance in the 1951 movie Fourteen Hours. Her life changed radically after she successively starred in High Noon, Mogambo, The Bridges at Toko-Ri and The Country Girl.

By the mid-50’s she had made it to stardom. Her look was often linked to that of her characters, from glamorous heroines to polite young girls. She was the symbol of a classic and discreet look. Grace Kelly became famous for her unique sense of elegance.

Photo – All Rights Reserved

The exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum uses her extensive clothe collection as an timeline of her transformation from Hollywood star to Princess of one of the oldest royal families in Europe. You’ll undoubtedly love twirling around amongst the legendary clothing that marked each step of her life: her movie costumes, wedding dress as well as all the other suits and jackets she wore during her years in Monaco.

French designers Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy as well as Chanel were always queuing up to dress the princess. Amongst other things she gave her name to the Hermes bag that never left her side and became one of the luxury brand’s best-sellers. The exhibit’s centrepiece is of course her Van Cleef & Arpels necklace made of diamonds and pearls, given to her by Prince Rainier himself after they got engaged.

© SNAP/Rex Features

The Grace Kelly – Style Icon exhibit will be on until September 26^th at the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, so no worries if you’ve got a busy summer ahead, there’s still plenty of time…