The Hollywood star who became a princess and gave her name to a bag.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
How did Grace Kelly become a style icon?
Through a handful of 1950s films, especially Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955), costumed by Edith Head. Her look was cool, polished and ladylike: full skirts, fitted bodices, white gloves, pearls and smooth blonde hair. She won the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl in 1955 wearing an ice-blue satin gown by Head.
What was her wedding dress like?
For her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956, the MGM costume designer Helen Rose made a gown of silk, taffeta and antique rose-point lace with a high neck and long sleeves. It is one of the most influential wedding dresses ever made, and echoes of it appeared in later royal weddings.
How did the Hermès Kelly get its name?
In 1956 she was photographed holding a large Hermès handbag in front of her, reportedly to shield her pregnancy from photographers. The bag, a design dating back to the 1930s, became known as “the Kelly”, and Hermès officially adopted the name in 1977. It remains, with the Birkin, one of the two most desired bags in the world.
What was her style as Princess Grace?
Elegant and practical: silk headscarves tied under the chin, oversized sunglasses, shirtdresses, cardigans and couture from Dior, Givenchy and Balenciaga for evening. She died in 1982, but her name is still shorthand for understated glamour and the old money look.
Read on Ayerhs: How Hermès Stayed the Strongest Luxury House · The Origins and Evolution of Red Carpet Fashion · The History of Wedding Fashion