October 21, 2009

Tribute to the Elegance


Grace Kelly was an American film and stage actress and fashion icon who later became Princess Grace of Monaco. Kelly became an actress in the 1950s, starring in such films as Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, High Society, and The Country Girl, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She retired from acting in 1956, at age 26, when she became "Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco" upon marrying Prince Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Together they had three children; Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie.Kelly died after being critically injured in a car accident with her daughter Stephanie in September 1982.

Displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is Grace Kelly's wedding dress. The dress was given to Grace as a gift from MGM studios. Helen Rose, who was her costume designer on multiple films, designed the gown. It took 6 weeks to complete and was woked on by over 300 seamstresses. It included rose point lace, silk faille, silk tulle, and seed pearls all hand embroidered and re-embroidered to be seamless and elegant.