This is lovely! Timeless beauty Grace Kelly is the cover girl for the May issue of Vanity Fair. I think it’s because there’s going to be a huge exhibit in London for Grace’s dresses, jewelry and, as VF puts it, her “accoutrements, from her Philadelphia society days to her Hollywood stardom, to her Monegasque princess hood.” VF has a gorgeous slideshow of Grace throughout the years (here for the slideshow), and they also have a cover story called “Grace Kelly’s Forever Look” – all about her timeless, iconic style. The author, Jane Bryant, “looks at the intertwined qualities of an icon: white-gloved ingénue, elegant goddess, passionate—and frankly sexual—romantic.” Full piece is here, and it’s too good to excerpts, so just go and read it!
In Bryant’s mind, the fascination with Grace really began with Rear Window. That’s my favorite Grace Kelly film – she’s absolutely perfect as a stylish New York magazine editor desperately in love with Jimmy Stewart’s photojournalist, and her love and passion for him takes her to surprising places. Here’s something I didn’t realize – Grace did Mogambo just before Rear Window. Have you ever seen Mogambo? It’s a very underrated film starring Grace, Clark Gable, and another one of my favorites, Ava Gardner. Anyway, it’s work a viewing if you love Grace. Before Grace left to become a princess, she had only made 11 films, and she was already one of the biggest stars in the world.
I can’t seem to get a good look at VF’s actual cover, so here are some more vintage images of Grace:
loved her in Rear Window great movie classic!
Love it!
Stunning.
(If PETA gets all up in this, I’m gonna be pissed)
How fabulous. How glamorous. She was cool, aloof, mysterious, immaculate yet powerfully sexy.
What a divine combination of qualities.
My favorite Grace Kelly is “The Country Girl”…
BABY GIRL THREW DOWN ON THAT ONE!!!
now THAT’S a movie star and the quintessential beauty. what a stunner.
They don’t make ’em like that anymore – she was truly a timeless, classic beauty.
Flawless. Timeless. Priceless. Just…ugh…speechless.
Love, loved, loved her in “Dial M for Murder.” She was showcased in that flick…no bubmbling around hysterically with her boobs being barely contained…
And Hitchcock was one of the few men in Hollywood who knew how to write for and direct a woman…and still is this many years later.
Note to celebutards: this is what/who you should be modeling yourselves after.
That’s awesome. She was incredibly beautiful. None today even compare! Oh and dizzybenny, I love Rear Window too!
She IS a timeless beauty, and it’s wonderful that she might be an example for a new generation because of this recent revisit by the media, but I have to ask why your enjoyment of her beauty must depend on ignorance to or avoidance of the fact that she’s shown in the skin of an animal killed for fashion’s sake. In her time period, virtually no one considered the consequences of the fur industry; it was one of the pinnacles of glamour, and thankfully that’s beginning to change now, however slightly. I don’t agree with most of Peta’s tactics because they detract from the validity of the animal rights movement, but I sure hope I’m not the only one who scrolled through these pictures and winced more than a little at having to look at glorified death in the way of her fur wrap.
(Now I see that you were probably referring to Peta likely getting involved in the upcoming exhibit; I apologize. I don’t think they should ambush what’s a very deserved tribute, but I do hope that a resurgence in old-school style does not mean a resurgence in blase attitudes about raising and killing animals for their fur.)
Im sure the Princess would be an advocate for animal rights were she alive today. I wish more young celebrities would aspire to be like Grace.
I love her
@lilred – ah no, they’ve already made a mockery of Marilyn!
It does sound like it would be a good exhibition though, although I’m unlikely to catch it. Although I’m vehemently anti-cosmetic fur, I’m wary of applying modern mores to different eras too stringently. But cruelty aside, fur and leather have serious environmental consequences, which are often ignored by the likes of PeTA.
But anyway, back to Grace. I’ve seen Mogambo a few times Kaiser, although not for a while. It’s a really brave film for the 1950s touching on dangerous emerald mining. i believe there’s even a very veiled reference to female circumcision, decades before it became a hot topic in the northern hemisphere.
(it’s the scene where Gardner asks Gable how the men can be so sure that their wives aren’t cheating on them, and he replies something along the lines of they have ways of making sure they don’t. Their reactions suggest more than “supervision” or honour-beatings/killings.
According to one of the Kelly bios, she and Clark Gable had an affair during the filming of Mogambo.
Thank you, KAISER! Everyone else today is a mere shadow of this woman. Paltrow, Kidman & Theron can try all they want. Never gonna cut it.
But you know what makes her so special, besides the natural elegant beauty?
Her eyes. Her eyes exude warmth and KINDNESS.
A very kind soul, that is what clinches it.
Her eyes smiled like a friendly dolphin that would rescue you from drowning.
She is the standard & that is why, my dear Brangeloonies, I could never get behind Angelina or others. I know the real deal when I see it.
Today’s stars can’t compare to the Taylors, Kellys and Leighs of yester year.
Bring me some real stars!
so beautiful, so classy. you wouldn’t catch grace flashing her pantyless crotch at the paparazzi.
I loved Mogambo and to be honest, Grace was okay (a bit annoying) but Ava, ah she was magnificent!
@Thunderc*nt
What a fabulous insight!!!!
I looked again at her eyes and I see exactly what you’re saying. Her eyes reveal kindness and a lovely vulnerability.
Thunderc*nt – well said!
Grace Kelly is also a NATURAL beauty – no Botox, collagen, Restylene, veneers, or plastic surgery – just a beautiful woman. As someone else said, the celebutards of today should take notice – this is what real class and beauty look like.
Mila – I actually agree with you. Grace was fine, but Ava was magnificent and in my opinion was the better actress of the two.
Mila & Mairead – yes, Ava is very strong in that movie – it was one of the first times that I saw Ava in a film and I thought “this bitch can ACT!”
I’ve also heard that about Grace and Clark having an affair.
Kaiser, did you ever see the footage of Ava singing in “Showboat”? She could really hold a tune! The irony still astounds me – the original actress was too black for the part and Ava was too white to sing the part in the film.
Amazing, timeless beauty and elegance! Loved her in Rear Window too, that movie is perfection.
When I was about 19 and working in a restaurant, I heard on the news of her passing in a car accident. I went out front and casually mentioned to my much older co-workers that she was dead. The 3 of them started crying and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. Flash forward a couple of decades, watching TV I see a little news blurb across the bottom of my screen. It was about the sudden death of Princess Di. Now I understand their tears. My reaction does still puzzle me a little, I didn’t know her, but I was crushed by her death.
a great actress and an effortless timeless beauty..a true original.
Thank You. While I just love Grace, I thought she kinda sucked as an actress. Sorry. But it’s the damn eyes. I think everyone as a baby or a toddler wanted their mother to have that unconditional, kind and forgiving eyes looking back at them. Yes, in today’s world, she’d be running & supporting no kill shelters. You know it!
absolutely love her! this was my parents’ continuous example of grace beauty class and kindness. i cant remember how many times my mom told me to model myself after her. she is so inspiring!
Meh.
Also, when will VF stop putting dead people on its covers? This has got to be what? Cover #5 with dead people: Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett (both understandable, but still), the Kennedy’s, Marilyn Monroe. VF needs a new gimmick if you ask me, and I promise you if I see the Kennedys on another cover, subscription over.
What a beauty, esp as Lisa Freemont in Rear Window & oh oh oh the clothes. The dress in the opening scene was something but did anyone notice the white halter blouse she wore under the green suit? I remember trying to recreate it w/ a sheet & would still be looking for it to this day had I not had one made.
Mairead;
I’m w/ you Ava stole the show in Mogambo. Seen it many time but don’t remember any refernces to emerald mining. Which scene touches on the subject?
Sigh…
I too love Hitchcock & am in awe of the cool blondes he directed so well. From Kelly, to Novak, Hedron (s/p) to St. John, he knew how to pick them. Unfortunately, his behavior was rather questionable if you can believe what you hear. Tippy Hedron claims to have been terrified by him & his unsettling behavior. Perhaps that’s in part why his work was so successful.
Nanster;
As for natural beauty that may be true. I’ve no idea but I have heard that even the greats had work done including Monroe & Gary Cooper. The press & privacy of stars was so very different back in the day. They were studio property & everything was controlled. So you never know. Regardless she was spectacular. Although I’m biased, she looked like my mom, I however do not.
Snapdragon;
I agree she certainly was not the tpe to flash the paps but she was rumored to be a mega nymphomaniac according to many. She was supposedly known for casually bedding men in & outside the industry. Makes me wonder how well she would have faired in the industry today.
Lovely, lovely woman. I have zero problems with seeing a dead person, especially one who is having a fashion retrospective done about them, on the cover of the biggest fashion magazine in the country.
I also have no problems with them showcasing fur-it was a different time. Everyone who could afford it wore fur and it was fashionable. I agree with the other poster who said you can’t apply modern social norms to the past. It’s on par with censorship in my opinion.
Agree with Lilias (again). I may actually buy (or at least read) this VF. Who cares if she’s dead, she’s a lot more interesting than the current crop. Also, about the fur issue: my mom is the same era as Grace and also wore fur in 50’s & 60’s, but stopped and became anti-fur in the 70’s. Its how it was.
She was devastatingly beautiful, of course, but those talking about her standards and grace and class must be forgetting that she was one of the loosest women in Hollywood. Her actions were scandalous and her bedmates NUMEROUS.
@nanster – a little late on this…but I’m totally with ya!
True, before she got married she got around. Doesn’t mean she wasn’t a classy woman.
Love Grace! Stylish, classic, beauty; everything that doesn’t exist anymore. And the clothes! Definitely love to watch all the old classics.
I remember hearing about Ava Gardner having a child with Clark Gable; I believe that was shortly after they filmed Mogambo. Does that mean Gable made it with both women??? Mmmm…that dirty old man!
@flik chik: Ava was indeed pregnant during filming Mogambo but it was Sinatra’s child and she aborted the pregnancy- she died childless. Maybe you’re confusing her with Loretta Young who gave birth to Gable’s kid but disguised it as an adoption (mid 1930’s).
She’s lovely, a relief from all the Botoxed images. Nah I didn’t wince at the fur, I do for present celebs as there are different norms now.
@ michellle – I’m probably confusing the emerald thing with a similar film from that era.
It was meant to be Sinatra’s child Ava aborted – Hollywood royaly Gable might have been, but I doubt he would have been stupid enough to boff the wannabe -Capo, Sinatra’s wife!
Surely Grace Kelly was one of the most beautiful women of all time.
Her good looks might have been natural, because plastic surgery was in its infancy at the time and Botox, collagen & other fillers didn’t exist. Also her two daughters are stunning, and even her granddaughter, Charlotte Casaghiri, is very beautiful–good genes!