Amazing Grace

Princess Grace may not have been “happy ever after” in her rigid role as wife,mother of three and Serene Highness of a toy-town monarchy. But outwardly,she played her part perfectly,from early wardrobes by costumers like Edith Head,provided by the Hollywood studio,onward. Even her wedding involved MGM’s Helen Rose,who helped create pieces that looked picture-perfect,as the skirts spread from a tiny waist. The exhibition also shows the hats and swooped-up hairstyles that were,as much as her white gloves,the essence of the Kelly look. That look still resonates today,as when Kate Winslet wore a simple dress and a perfectly coiffed hairstyle to the 2009 Oscars.

In her new role,Princess Grace moved swiftly away from costume and toward Paris haute couture,donning the fussier grandeur of a Balenciaga-embroidered jacket. She also experimented with designers such as Hubert de Givenchy and the young Yves Saint Laurent,wearing the bold,colour-block 1965 YSL Mondrian dress but decorating it with a diamond-encrusted poodle brooch from Cartier. A photograph shows her taking her children to school in a Saint Laurent shirtwaist dress that she made as classic and proper as her much-used Hermès Kelly bag. The fashion hero of the exhibition is Marc Bohan of Christian Dior,whose dresses,in their flutter of loose chiffon in sunset colours or with romantic rose patterns,were cut so skillfully that they smoothed over any imperfections and allowed Monaco’s first lady to keep her fashionable status.