Grace Kelly : Style Icon at the V&A London

BizDress writes from London this week where as luck would have it the Victoria & Albert museum (V&A) is exhibiting one of the western worlds (and secretly one of our own) favourite style icons of the 20th century: Grace Kelly.

Grace Kelly was quoted as having said, “I think it is important to see the person first and the clothes afterwards.”

For Grace this persona was a unique combination of casual, aristocratic coolness which both inspired and took inspiration from some of the world’s leading designers.

Perhaps it is because of our admiration for Grace’s persona and her casual, aristocratic coolness that we left the exhibit feeling dissatisfied.

The V&A exhibit was a condensed showing of 30 or so dresses, spanning from her cinema wear to special events, and then to Princess Grace. It grouped together dresses designed by Edith Head, Marc Bohan for Dior, et al, providing a kind of chronology of Grace’s life. Unfortunately, the dresses were presented upright on faceless mannequins, frozen behind glass cases in their respective groups. They seemed beautiful ghosts of Grace’s past, cut off from any living context.

Thankfully there were two screenings of film montages. These were interesting excerpts of footage from several of Grace’s films. There were also videos from momentous events in her personal life however these were primarily focused on her relationship with Prince Rainier of Monaco.
But then that was it. We left the show feeling very hungry wanting to see more. In particular we would have liked to see more images of Grace the person. Grace was known as much for her relaxed, “American” style as she was for her more opulent glamour.

Grace the person understood the equilibrium of style, preferring clean, simple silhouettes with accents on specific details: her hair, a hat, a brooch... Her off-screen looks were uncluttered, basic yet as chic as chic can get, because everything she wore had a reason- right down to her super- glam glasses. While fashion changed over time she clearly understood how to adapt fashion to Grace.

In fact her off-screen persona was as much a reason as any to define her as a style icon. It’s fairly easy to be elegant when you’re stepping out in Balenciaga, or Dior. Doing it in pedal pushers, cuffed shirt sleeves and espadrilles....is a whole other ball of wax.

That’s the image of Grace on the cover of the brochure the V&A printed for the event; and that’s the Grace that I find most iconically stylish. That Grace, unfortunately, is not in the show.

Other fabulous falls from grace

Speaking of falling from high places, a close friend of mine was vacationing in Monsieur Tourre’s home country one summer. She was in Paris in fact and was determined as ever to peruse the shops along France's famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées in style. Before even stepping onto the pavement she spent hours coiffing her hair and selecting her outfit, finally emerging a vision of French fashion in her cutest jeans, little ruffle top and platform heals. Knowing my friend, I imagine she thought herself the cream walking around and occasionally flipping her hair in every cute Parisian man’s face and batting her eyelashes (a skill she has honed for years).
Of course the Champs are known for their wide board walks and shops – but one in particular – the Louis Vuitton store is a showcase and a must see. The LV store is known for its fabulous fit out and a rather angular set of stairs (similar to the LV shop on Castlereagh St here in Sydney). Putting on her best airs and graces my friend made a grand entrance stepping with utter confidence down the long and rather royal flight of stairs as if she were accepting an Oscar. In her opposite direction at the bottom of the stairs was a salesman, equally haughty, arms were filled with LV merchandise. Taking in all of the delights around her my friend lost her footing and just as the salesman was approaching she TRIPPED on her platforms and went flying feet first down the whole staircase. In a vain attempt to save herself she grabbed the salesman, the Louis and anything else in her reach dragging them all down with her! EVERYONE in the store saw, and if they didn’t see the fall they certainly heard her scream and saw her and the attendant and all of the Louis on the floor at the base of the stairs, hair crumpled, shoes falling off. Needless to say she was MORTIFIED. BUT true to her style, she brushed herself off, apologized to the salesman and briskly exited the store....Now there is a lady who knows how to make a grand exit!!!!

What is the Devil really wearing?

As I watched Fabulous Fabrice Tourre and his Goldman colleagues squirming in front of a gallery of Senators, media and mad as hell investors who had lost it all, I wondered how do you decide what to wear at these sorts of occasions? Surely not a bespoke cashmere and silk Brioni suit, Turnbull and Asser shirt paired with a Stefano Ricci tie? I’m also guessing he kept the John Lobbs in the closet in case he put his foot in it. While you can’t tell from the images exactly who and what they are wearing, it is clear they were told to keep it simple and low key. The guidelines would have been: white shirt, red (or dark blue) tie, dark suit – but nothing that looks too flashy and definitely NO braces, stripped shirts, French cuffs or flashy cufflinks. I did note that Monsieur Tourre wore a red white and blue stripped tie – but I wondered whether that was more a signal of his protest than patriotism (the stars and stripes being the reference to the American flag). Ladies, what do you wear when you are about to enter the fray?

Getting nailed by the fashion police

We were wrapping-up after a long, and at times acrimonious, negotiation when one of the executives working on the other side of the table highlighted to all present that I had been wearing black nail polish. While I don't entirely recall the detail of the comment - suffice to say - it was derogatory. As I was the only woman in the room, I thought to myself, "Why is this relevant - why somehow is my appearance any more noteworthy than anyone else present in the room?" Now I have to admit, I do not normally wear black nail polish in an executive setting. It just so happens the colour in question was NOT black, but Light my Sapphire by Opi. This colour had worked beautifully with an ensemble I had been wearing on the prior weekend (I had forgotten to remove the offending colour once the work week had begun) and I dare say also worked with a very conservative dark grey Loro Piano suit I was wearing at the time. I looked over at this person, bit my tongue, and thought, "Who died and made you the fashion police?" Truly, here was a person for whom the cheap suit was designed, marketed and sold successfully in dusty old shops on George St, Sydney. Frankly, they should hand out fines for people wearing outfits like his - but of course to him (and quite possibly other company present) black (or Light my Sapphire for that matter) nail polish in an executive setting is a crime, punishable by a sentence of at least five minutes of uncomfortable silence and total embarrassment. Afterwards, I wondered whether I should have held fire (or Light My Sapphire for that matter). Ladies what would you have done?

If Ralph Lauren is a pope, then I must confess to being a worshipper

In France fashion is indeed a religion and so we shouldn’t be surprised when Le Monde describes Ralph Lauren as America’s Pope of Fashion (le pape du mode americaine). Considering France’s A-list turned out to the opening of his third boutique in Paris (this one located on the prestigious left bank), and to honour him with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, there is no doubt RL has direct line to France's Fashion Deity.
But, I suppose if any American deserves to wear the big hat – it would have to be RL. As a career woman, I must admit to being a bit of an RL worshipper. You just have to look at the pre-fall ensemble featured here for the Northern Hemisphere's 2010 season or to have participated in the launch of his Knightsbridge and Steeple Chase Blue labels (the former only days ago) in Sydney to understand why.
Both lines are now available in RL's Chatswood RL boutique in Sydney but be warned many of the best pieces are already walking out the door!! My favourite was the Leather Hacking Jacket in RL signature brown suede (there was only one left in a size 6!!). This little beauty can be paired with any number of fabulous pieces in the collection, including the tartan skirt, brown plaid woollen skirt, green Kelsey blouse or brown sleeveless dress – or just wear it to the rugby with a pair of jeans!
I also recommend the incredibly versatile grey stretch wool pencil skirt and matching jacket – whether you have a white, pink, deep red, navy blue or a black blouse or sweater this suit will pair with all of those and it is perfect for the office. The jacket will also go with a black or periwinkle blue skirt and vice versa. While I don’t normally buy shoes from fashion designers, I was aching for the black peeptoe granny heels they had displayed in the glass cabinet, these are perfect for the Sydney climate – thank goodness they only had size 37 and 39. God only knows the damage I could have done in that store – and now for the confessional!!!

Does this foot make my mouth look big?

Yes Garance Dore I'm afraid it does. For those of you who didn't see yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald, the fashion doyenne was reported to have opposed having curvy and large sized women on the runway. In an AAP interview she was reported to have said,"It's not such a good thing to show plus-size because it's not really physically healthy and not always flattering to fashion." Needless to say this was not her only derogatory comment about the matter.
This is wrong on so many levels. We should applaud fashion designers that have the creativity and skill to produce beautiful pieces that suit a range of body shapes and sizes. That LVMH and Prada are confident enough in their brand to prove this on the runway is a credit to them. What's more it is sending the right message to women about the importance of being comfortable within yourself (or bien dans son peau as the French say).

There may well be 50,000 women around the world every day reading Madame Dore's blog - but I can't imagine all of them are 5ft7inches and 120lbs (or less). Ms Dore may well get away with it through some fancy footwork, but to my mind its going to take a lot to extract this Jimmy Choo from her lips.

Hosiery, stockings, nylons.....whatever

One of my earlier posts reminded me how much I dislike nylon stockings (aka hosiery). Yes - I know - there is nothing more polished than a sheer black stockinged leg partnered with a hounds tooth pattern or short grey textured wool skirt. I will even admit there are some really fetching patterned stockings that lend a completely new dimension to an ensemble. However, stockings (nylons, hosiery or whatever you call them) are high on my list of essential fashion items that I absolutely hate spending money on.

Why? First of all, I find them incredibly difficult to shop for - especially if you are doing the crisis dash to the chemist (drug store) following a “wardrobe malfunction”.
How in the world do you decide between say a pair of Voodoo Shine Sheer to Waist, Platinum Sheen Sheers, Kaiser Sheers or any of the vast array of brands you find in the supermarket, or high end department stores? Does price really guarantee quality or are we all really being sold the packaging? Why would you spend say $150 on a pair of Wolford’s?

Am I the only one who finds descriptors such as “all day support” or “sheer to
waist” incredibly confusing? What in the world is a gusset or a reinforced toe? Is it me or is someone suggesting women need to enter the workplace with some kind of additional protective armour? If we have really to wear these things why in the world has no-one created a good “nude” stocking without the peach fuzz and that actually looks nude?

And while I am appreciative of those funny looking dangling samplers - how can I really tell difference between “midnight black”and “ebony” what colour is “jabou”? And why is it I can never find a sample that actually matches the stocking I want to purchase?


And lastly, can someone please explain to me why I am paying ridiculous sums of money for a fashion item I am likely to only wear once? Well, watch this space because I am going to road test a few of these babies and let me assure you this is one race where the fastest runners are the biggest losers....