They've Got Grace!

Do you live in London or are you planning on visiting as soon as this volcanic dust settles? An exhibition showcasing the wardrobe of one Miss Grace Kelly has opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It’s a good thing I’m not going because I’d probably be the crazy girl hauled away by security for trying to pilfer one of her outfits from Rear Window. For those of us who can’t see the exhibit in person (for security reasons or otherwise) the Daily Mail has a great article with suggestions on how you can copy the looks that made Grace a star.

All this Princess Grace news got me thinking. And all that thinking led me to another game of “Who Would Play.” We here at On the Marquee last played this game with Natalie Wood. Now it’s time to list some potential Grace Kellys - for the Grace Kelly biopic that for now only exists in my head.

January Jones

This first one is kind of obvious and it’s not hard to picture – mainly because we know she can already pull off the vintage wardrobe and also because Mad Men beats us over the head with the Grace Kelly comparisons every chance it gets. But while we think January Jones rocks as Betty Draper on the AMC drama, we kind of think that might be the only character she can play. I mean, you saw her Rear Window skit on SNL, right? Yikes.

Emily Deschanel

Bear with me on this one. Try to picture the Bones star with a blonde wig - there's definitely some similar bone structure going on. Still don't see it? Ah well. Consider this pick a dark horse.

Rosamund Pike

Think we found a winner! This lovely Brit brings her poise and, ahem, grace to every role she takes. Whether it’s the soft-spoken eldest sister in Pride & Prejudice or the not-too-bright socialite in An Education. We think she has the look and the talent. Ok, so we may not have been the first to notice her Grace Kelly-like attributes, but we’re totally on board with her as first choice.

What do you guys think? Any other suggestions? Just not Gwyneth Paltrow. Only non-obnoxious actresses need apply.

Siren Centerfold: Grace Kelly

Her first name says it all. Grace Kelly was the epitome of grace and poise on-screen and off. From her rich upbringing in Pennsylvania to her royal ending in Monaco, the stunning beauty was always captivating. In addition to becoming the ultimate Hitchcock blonde in films like Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, Kelly proved herself a legitimate actress when she won an Oscar for her role in The Country Girl. Despite a successful film career, Kelly left it all behind to become—fittingly—a princess. It was perhaps the only other occupation worthy of such a woman. She married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 and said goodbye to acting for good. Gents, behold our Siren Centerfold: Grace Kelly.

Even her wedding was a Hollywood affair. The church ceremony at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral was filmed by MGM and made into the documentary The Wedding in Monaco. The 600 guests included David Niven, Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner and Conrad Hilton.

But Grace Kelly didn't much care for the Hollywood glitz. “Hollywood amuses me,” she once said. “Holier-than-thou for the public and unholier-than-the-devil in reality.”

She was close friends with Josephine Baker, and championed racial equality.

In 1993, she became the first American actress to appear on a U.S. postage stamp.

Say Yes to the Dress!

The Oscars.

These days we more often than not remember an actress for her dress rather than for the award she won. As Andrea said, the Academy Awards weren’t always the ceremony of pomp and circumstance that we know today. In turn, neither were the fashions.

In fact, if it wasn’t for the turn the red carpet took in the 1950s why, Joan Rivers would be out of a job today. That was when the Red Carpet became the fiasco it is today and while the likes of Audrey Hepburn helped mold its image, we can almost pinpoint the beginning of the end to 1955 and Grace Kelly.

When Kelly arrived to accept her Best Actress award for her performance in The Country Girl, she walked the carpet in this Edith Head dress that had a price tag of $4,000. It was the most expensive Oscar gown to date and turned the Red Carpet into an all-out fashion frenzy.

Barbara Streisand was another Best Actress winner (Funny Girl) to turn heads when she wore a Scaasi creation in 1969.

Believe it or not, the big white collar was considered “young and exciting” at a time when spaghetti straps were unheard of.

Edith Head struck gold again in 1970 when she fitted Elizabeth Taylor with a blue dress designed to match the actress’ eyes.

We still have to check to see which husband she was accessorizing with at the time, though.

It isn’t all beauty, however, mostly thanks to the likes of Cher. She repeatedly made a fool out of herself when it came to her Oscar costumes, but none moreso than the Bob Mackie dress from 1998 when she won Best Actress for Moonstruck.


That’s hardly the worst, though. Our pick for The Worst Oscar Dress in History. Ever. comes from the walking fashion faux pas that is Bjork. In case you blocked this memory out, the Icelandic singer wore a swan to the 2001 Oscar ceremony. We don’t think she’s been invited back since.