Back in August I used this picture of Grace Kelly as part of my information gathering on four key actresses of the fifties. It was part of my research on the Red Dress and related to differing views of femininity. Grace Kelly is my favourite actress and is in one of my favourite films Rear Window.She wore this dress to the 1955 Academy Awards where she won best actress for her role in Country Girl. This was the year On the Waterfront won best film and Marlon Brando won best actor. Thrilling times!
Edith Head the most famous Hollywood costume designer made this dress for Grace Kelly to wear. It was still in the days when the costume design department of the studio still ruled the roost. It was when two costume design Oscars were awarded one for colour and one for black and white. In 1955 in the black and white category Edith Head won for Sabrina, however more importantly this was a collaboration with Givenchy because Hubert Givenchy dressed Audrey Hepburn. Watch the film it is worth it for the dresses. Head never publicly thanked Givenchy and the intrigued of who designed what rumbled on. Givenchy continued to dress Hepburn and he became the first real success story for a Paris designer to break the Hollywood mode. Chanel failed and Schiaperelli wouldn't travel!
How wonderful is this dress, Edith Head was very good, and more wonderful is that it will be part of the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A which I know doubt will keep banging on about.
I loved Grace Kelly's wardrobe in High society too and To catch a thief but also loved the little cat burglar in the breton top and little jeans .. I think they were jeans ??
ReplyDeleteWildernesschic - yes they were jeans. Did you know Cary Grant styled himself including those plaid bathers in To Catch a Thief.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous dress - I love the colour.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how, nowadays, those trained for costume design and making are probably better equipped to work in the 'couture' world than those trained for fashion design.
ReplyDeleteNext door to us, in the fashion dept, at my art college...the fashion students would be learning about 'market trends' and cutting everything to fit a standard size 8/10/12. Whereas we were learning about draping/cutting on the stand, and detailed textile work.
I'm not saying that *I* could work in the couture world, my making skills weren't brilliant and I ended up concentrating on design/illustration. But a lot of my contemporaries were making stunning copies of couture garments and film costumes such as this one.
It's interesting how the fashion world has become so polarised like that. I notice it on those Project Catwalk type shows. Give them the couture or 'avant garde' challenges and they churn out panto costumes. And the finishing on a show I dressed during LFW was ATROCIOUS. There just WAS no finishing whatsoever.
Thank you for letting me ramble, I may have to compose my own blog about such things eventually ;)
Grace Kelly used to have battles with Hitchcock with her costumes - he said she carried too much 'steerage' and wanted her skirts wider to hide her hips! I loved everything she wore in Rear Window and lusted after her vanity case with her overnight essentials
ReplyDeleteI am nostalgic for that era too!
ReplyDeletexoxox,
CC
Great post and Misspeelpants what an interesting comment!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that very interesting post. Oh to be as Stylish as Grace Kelly!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, oh how different the fashion world seemed back then, I just adore the 1950's. Miss Peelpants I totally agree with your comments too - and I would be very interested in reading more about such things : )
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing some true horrors on the red carpet, I wouldn't mind going back to having some of the stars dressed by the studio costume designers.
ReplyDeleteTried to watch Rear Window again recently and got too annoyed with the Jimmy Stewart character. I wanted to say to Grace Kelly, "Dump this loser and find someone who won't talk down to you (or get you killed)." I was forced to turn it off despite the charms of Miss Torso.
ReplyDeleteI've drooled over that gown many a time. So gorgeous!
ReplyDelete