grace kelly: "ethereal beauty and style-icon"

ANNE GRE WABEKE

Grace Kelly “ethereal beauty and style-icon”

As one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses during the 1950s, Grace Patricia Kelly (1929-1982) was not short of media attention. Initially working as a model to fund her studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, Grace soon went on to work on Broadway and in television, and eventually entered the film industry in 1951. However, Kelly’s career in film came to an abrupt end in 1956 when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco and became Princess Grace of Monaco. Despite her relatively brief career in the film industry Grace Kelly managed to build herself a name as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s “girls”, if not the girl, as she starred in three of his films. Particularly Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) and To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955) form interesting subjects for analysis as the main characters in both films seem to resemble and reflect Grace Kelly’s persona in many ways, arguably defining her status a style-icon. I first watched Kelly in Rear Window and was immediately caught by her incredibly stylish persona. Every one of the costumes she wears in the film seems to be a work of art in itself, her simple make up look defining her natural but undeniable beauty. But what captivated me most about her is the sense of mystery she creates with her elegant, yet controlled, almost regal being — Grace Kelly has a ‘unique inward beauty’ (Modern Screen, June 1954: 36) that defined her persona both on- and offscreen. During my research I found that it was this same sense of mystery that I encountered, which dominated her portrayal in contemporary media — although not always perceived as favourable. However, her extreme sense of personal privacy also led to a vast amount of speculation, particularly regarding her relationships with male co-stars. Magazines eagerly documented and speculated about her love-life, a feature that dominated her media coverage and included lavish portrayals of her marriage to Prince Rainier. The focus of this essay, however, will not be on the discussion of Grace Kelly’s private life, but rather on what made her famous and iconic: her beauty and style. Within these parameters, the aim of this essay will be to analyse Grace Kelly’s portrayal in fan magazines, with particular emphasis on the period during the height of her career 1954-1956. Some of the questions underlying this research are: How exactly was Grace Kelly’s style and beauty portrayed?

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Were magazines in agreement, or did representations vary? Did the perception of who Grace Kelly was change over the years? Although Grace Kelly has featured in many more magazines, I shall restrict presented research in this essay to publications of Modern Screen, Screenland Plus TV, Screenland and TV Radio Mirror as available on the database Lantern of the Media History Digital Library.

Despite her status as a style-icon, very few articles in the magazines I have looked at in this essay seem to feature adverts, or other promotional material regarding Grace Kelly’s style. However, there is a vast amount of references to her sense of style, both in terms of fashion and personality, that is written about in articles. Before discussing Grace’s style-persona as presented in the articles I shall look at a few adversarial “articles” that prominently feature Grace Kelly. The earliest articles that mentioned Grace Kelly by name are from a 1950 Screenland edition, and refer to her as ‘Grace Kelly…lovely NBC television actress’ (June 1950: 54). In ‘Summertimers’ (54-55), Grace can be seen modelling a variety of outfits that readers can order by means of the attached coupon. A few pages on, there is another article called ‘Star Buys’ (58), which is accompanied by three photos of Kelly in different outfits, followed by the addresses of the stores where readers can order the clothes. Although the articles are from a period before Kelly’s breakthrough in Hollywood, they are significant examples of her style throughout her

career; both articles exemplify Grace Kelly’s signature “shirt-waist” skirts and dresses. The photo that I found particularly interesting is the last one in the ‘Star Buys’ article [fig. 1]. With the shirt-waist, ankle-length wave skirt, low-heeled shoes and pearl necklace, it seems exemplary of Grace’s style during the height of her career — particularly Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, High Society (Charles Walters, 1956)— a few years later. Another mention of Grace Kelly in relation to fashion is in an advert for “Dream Step shoes”, which according to the advert are


fig. 1: Screenland, June 1950: 58

‘favourites in Hollywood’ (Modern Screen, October 1952: 84)[fig. 2]. Using Grace Kelly’s head-shot at the top of the article, with a mention of her starring in High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), this advert uses her star-persona to promote its brand. Although most likely Kelly herself did not endorse the brand, she was said to have been ‘crazy about shoes’ (Modern Screen, May 1954: 61), and the style of the shoes is exemplary of her own demure style. Another brand using Grace Kelly to promote their products is “Lustre-Creme Shampoo”, which uses a promotional portrait of Kelly in The Swan (Charles Vidor, 1956), and states that ‘Yes, Grace Kelly uses Lustre-Creme Shampoo’ (Modern Screen, July 1956: advert). This advert is followed by a feature in November 1956, where the readers of Modern Screen can vote for their favourite of the ‘Lustre-Creme Girls’ — Grace Kelly was not the only star used to promote the brand, others included Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day and Maureen O’Hara (November 1956: 18-19). Finally, following a variety of articles about different types of fashion — shoes, cotton dresses, fragrances — there is an article called ‘Match your fragrance to a star’ (Screenland Plus TV, July 1954: 52-53). The article gives readers advice about which perfume

to buy, based on which star they identify with most. Grace Kelly is described as ‘a feminine blend of sweetness and sophistication, ladylike and fastidious. A good companion, capable of great love’

and the article advises people ‘like her’ to look for fragrances with ‘a blend of precious woods and mosses with cool touch of leaves’, and henceforth names a few perfumes fitting this description (Screenland Plus TV, July 1954: 53).

Apart from these articles there are very few examples of Grace Kelly’s name in connection to the promotion of certain products or styles. However, the styles and products in these magazines do oftentimes seem to reflect her fashion, but since this essay seeks to analyse the portrayal of Grace Kelly in the media rather than the effect and influence as a whole on fashion, I shall now move on to a discussion of the representation of Kelly’s style and persona in the magazine articles.


fig. 2: Modern Screen, October 1952: 84

The article that best encompasses Grace Kelly fashion and persona — in fact out of the articles I researched, this is the only one that clearly defines Kelly as a style-icon — is written by Marva Peterson for Modern Screen. Already in the title ‘Can Grace teach Hollywood some manners?’ (Modern Screen, July 1955: 32-33, 88-89) the reader is made aware of not only Grace Kelly’s influence on the masses, but also her image as refined and exemplary. Peterson writes that Hollywood has been looking for someone to radically change its trend of ‘pin-up girls’ to ‘genteel charm’ (33). According to the article fashion designers are now designing clothes that ‘de-emphasize the bosom and the tight skirt’, and ‘look more pretty than provocative’ (33). Stars inspired by the ‘Grace Kelly quality’ opt for a ‘well-scrubbed look’ instead of the ‘sultry look’, and ‘their tousled, careless, Italian hairstyles are giving way to soft, loose hairdos. And as a badge of success the cashmere sweater is replacing the mink stole’ (33).

Grace has changed fashion ‘Alone, single-handed and quite unintentionally, a bright new screen star is changing the tastes of Hollywood’, but ‘Grace, of course, is totally unaware of her pace-setting’(33). This sense of ‘unintentionally’ changing the course of fashion just by being herself is emphasised in the rest of the article as well. Firstly, a set of three photographs accompanying the article of Kelly wearing the same coat on three different occasions, stressing the fact that she is ‘not embarrassed’ to wear the same item of clothing multiple times — she is natural and ‘undemanding’, more like the readers of the magazine than the often ostentatious Hollywood stars (33). Kelly thus known for the fact that ‘she wears very little make-up, and clothes of simple elegance’, she ‘doesn’t own a fur piece’ like most other stars, but instead has ‘a fabulous collection of silk, organdy, velvet and brocaded evening coats’ (89). The article sums up Grace Kelly’s look as follows:

Her cashmere sweaters fit easily, no like adhesive tape. And she prefers blue jeans, Bermuda shorts and tailored slacks to matador pants. Her blouses are made of crisp cotton, rather than clinging fabrics. She wears a hat, stockings and white gloves when she’s invited out and she always carries two clean handkerchiefs. (89)

Her simple look is furthermore accompanied by little jewellery as her ‘customary jewelry consists of a single strand of pearls and perhaps a flower or a snip of ribbon in her hair’ (89). But, as Peterson emphasises, Kelly’s ‘restrained fashion sense doesn’t mean that Grace doesn’t like clothes’, and she reiterates Grace’s great sense of style by saying


that she ‘never commits an error in taste’ (89). Overall the article thus establishes Grace Kelly’s signature style and influence on Hollywood and fashion, or as Peterson herself says ‘what Grace Kelly is bringing to Hollywood’ (89). The only photos accompanying the

article that exemplify Grace’s style are the three photos mentioned earlier in which she wears the same coat. We can, however, clearly identify the white gloves in all three photos, and other magazines furthermore serve as proof of Grace Kelly’s style as outlined by Peterson: the pearl necklace, cotton blouse, blue jeans, and cashmere sweater [fig. 3-6]. In another article, Elsa Maxwell describes one of Grace Kelly’s looks: ‘a tweed skirt and crisp white shirt, her usually smooth gold hair flying’ (Modern Screen, April 1956: 90). Maxwell

furthermore states that ‘the most famous couturiers ache to dress her, because — more than anyone else on the contemporary scene, she exemplifies a beautifully simple and correct look: her spic and span white gloves having come to be so much a part of her that you almost picture her arriving in this world wearing a tiny pair’ (90). As Maxwell points out, the white gloves have become Kelly’s signature look, a feature which is also much discussed in other articles. Regarding her happiness with Jean-Pierre Aumont one article states that ‘between her clean white gloves, Grace Kelly holds that happiness’, and that ‘perhaps he [Aumont] wants to see the white gloves permanently removed’ in

reference to a potential marriage between Kelly and Aumont, and that if she does not love Aumont she should ‘take off the little white gloves’ and let him go, because ‘that will be proof enough that Kelly has a heart’ (Modern Screen, September 1955: 81). In another feature, the white gloves are presented as an attractive aspect of Grace Kelly, as actor Tom Tryon explains ‘There was a girl with class. Those white gloves, you know? Man, they


fig. 4: Screenland Plus TV, November 1955: 49

fig. 3: Modern Screen, July 1955: 33

told the whole story, those white gloves. I have to agree: A girl who wears those and can do it like she did, without being or looking self-conscious…well, she deserves to find a husband!’ (TV Radio Mirror, February 1961: 10). As we have seen, opinions varied as to whether Grace’s gloves were an attractive feature or a symbol of coolness and distance. Nevertheless, they became part of the Grace Kelly star-persona.

A similar twofold perception of Grace Kelly can be found in relation to her beauty. A quote from Paramount’s photographer Bud Fraker seems to capture exactly why

people might find Grace cold and distant:So much of her appeal […] lies in her charm and personality that I find difficulty in catching such elusive qualities. I have to make sure not to use anything but street make-up with Grace or she looks artificial. You can’t use trick lighting or hokey poses with the girl. The secret of her personality is naturalness. (Modern Screen, July 1955: 88)

It is precisely this ‘naturalness’ that differentiates Grace Kelly’s beauty from other contemporary Hollywood actresses; as mentioned before, Kelly’s demure and natural looks set her apart from the popular pin-up girls at the time. It was, then, a new and different kind of American beauty that the people needed to discover and learn to appreciate. Note here my emphasis on American beauty, because according to Hitchcock Kelly’s ‘cool’ appearance is typical of English and Scandinavian women ‘outwardly cold, inwardly passionate — probably the most promiscuous of all’. He goes on to say that his preference for these ‘cool beauties’ is because ‘the type is most photogenic, most intriguing and gives me the opportunity of presenting a woman subtly and slowly to the public — not just putting it all on a platter’ (TV Radio Mirror, July 1962: 89). And this is what Hitchcock did with Grace Kelly, most notably in Rear Window, he used her ‘unique inward beauty’ (Modern Screen, June 1954: 36) and signature fashion to create a


fig. 5: Modern Screen, October 1954: 47

fig. 6: Screenland Plus TV, March 1955: 14

mysterious beauty who slowly opens up to both the audience and the main protagonist Jeff (James Stewart). As she slowly approaches and kisses Jeff we wonder “who are you?”, a question which is answered by Grace Kelly herself when she elegantly moves around the room, showing off her princess-like dress, and begins to introduce herself [fig. 7]. Hitchcock thus uses Grace’s offscreen persona to create Lisa, hence the double meaning behind the question of who it is we are watching: we not only get to know Lisa, more importantly, we are introduced to Grace Kelly. Jeff is convinced at the beginning of the film that Lisa is too refined and perfect for him, but is later surprised by Lisa’s sense of adventure, which leads him to fall for her. Grace Kelly is represented rather similarly in the media, one article states that ‘she isn’t at all cold, but she has the look of being distant and

unattainable’ and she is ‘an extremely sensitive young woman who adopts an outward appearance of coolness as a defensive measure’ (Screenland Plus TV, November 1955: 46,48).

However, other articles paint a more negative picture of Kelly, in particular the previously quoted article called ‘Ice-cold Kelly: has she got a heart?’ (Modern Screen, September 1955: 29), that uses the words ‘that cool, collected Kelly look’ (80) to describe her, although it does admit that ‘natural beauty and competent acting have carried her to the top’ (80). Another article goes a step further by referring to Kelly as having a ‘vaunted stainless steel interior’ (Screenland Plus TV, March 1956: 29). However, by describing her relationship with Jean Pierre Aumont, this article does suggest that Grace Kelly might not be entirely unattainable, quoting Aumont as saying ‘Grace is charming, adorable, very intelligent and very modest despite her beauty’ (33). Most interesting here I find the addition to the sentence: ‘despite her beauty’. It gives the impression that beauty is thought of as being incompatible with sweetness, intelligence, kindness. Could that be part


fig. 7: Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)

of the reason many of these articles stress Kelly’s coldness? Is it her ‘ethereal beauty’ (Screenland Plus TV, November 1955: 46) that distantiates people? Based on the articles we have previously discussed that may well be the case, however a great many articles stress another one of Grace Kelly’s qualities that is offered as the reason for her perceived coldness. In ‘Grace Kelly: Hollywood’s New Garbo?’ (Screenland Plus TV, March 1955: 12-17), Billy Tusher describes Kelly’s aversion to Hollywood and her ‘passion for privacy’ (14), on this account likening her to Greta Garbo. According to Tusher her dislike of publicity and crowds is due to her ‘innate shyness and a stern concept of personal dignity’ (14), and although he does seem to approve of this quality — ‘refreshing absence of false modesty’ (14) — he does warn that this could be a ‘dangerous luxury in a community where so many actresses turn in their best performances away from the sound stages’ (14). An earlier article in Modern Screen, ‘Lovely to Look At’ (May 1954: 60-61), also stresses Kelly’s shyness. Louis Pollock calls her the ‘demurest miss’ (60), emphasising that ‘no talk comes naturally with her’ (61), and that ‘although she is poised, Grace is by no means an extrovert and her personality has an essence of shyness’ (61). Another feature in October describes Kelly as ‘enthusiastic — in her own quiet way’ (Modern Screen, October 1954: 80), followed by a mention in December that ‘Kelly is quietly beautiful. She isn’t obvious in her display of her physical charm. Kelly is refined and soft-spoken’ (Modern Screen, December 1954: 30). The reference to qualities of refinement and soft-spoken-ness in the latter quote, points towards another characteristic that is often attributed to Grace Kelly, namely her lady-like persona. In the same article, Steve Cronin goes on to say ‘there is no doubt that Grace Kelly is a lady. Most important of all she looks like a lady, talks like a lady, dresses like a lady and acts like a lady’ (30), furthermore referring to this aspect of Kelly as being the reason for her popularity: ‘She’s hot right now because she’s the first American lady-type actress in more than a decade’ (30). An earlier article — ‘The whole town’s talking about Kelly!’, also by Steve Cronin, captures Grace Kelly’s lady-like persona as her ‘born-to-the-purple manner’ (Modern Screen, October 1954: 80). Interestingly, this article furthermore identifies Kelly as a ‘femme fatale, an American combine of Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman’ (46), saying that ‘she is the envy of practically every other motion picture actress in the world’ (46). As we saw earlier in quotes from Hitchcock and the article ‘Grace Kelly: Hollywood’s New Garbo?’, a common trait in the magazines presented in this essay seems to be the making of a comparison of Grace Kelly to Scandinavian Hollywood stars


like Ingrid Bergman and Greta Garbo, because of their similarity to Kelly in terms of ‘inward beauty’, and dislike of Hollywood and publicity.

Finally, as said before, publicity surrounding Grace Kelly was not unified in calling her “cold” and “unattainable”. An article called ‘Kelly Knows Best: She looked and talked like Grace — but in Carolina, she didn’t act like Grace’ (Modern Screen, January 1956: 36-39,67) shows another side, namely that ‘Grace’s charms lie in her rarely expressed, but potently suggested inner life’ (39). The feature, which is accompanied by a variety of photographs pertaining to show this ‘inner life’ of Kelly, furthermore claims that ‘Miss Kelly can be as flirtatious, kittenish, impulsive, dreamy as any other well-brought-up young woman her age’ (39) and that ‘in private the cool, classic beauty dissolves into a warm, impulsive woman who delights the camera with a fresh mood’ (38-39)[fig. 8-9].

The four magazines used in this essay — Screenland, Screenland Plus TV, TV Radio Mirror, Modern Screen — thus all paint a similar picture of Grace Kelly, the key words being: lady-like, shy, coolness, femme-fatale, natural, inward and ethereal beauty. As one article puts it: ‘She started from scratch with the pulchritude, and all she has had to do to enhance its ethereal quality is to be herself — tranquil, fastidious, elegant’ (Modern Screen, June 1954:

35). Another feature, ‘Grace Kelly talks about beauty’ (Modern Screen, July 1956, 18), states that according to Grace Kelly ‘a pleasant appearance comes when make-up, grooming and personality blend to reflect the inner and outer person which is the real you’ (18). Kelly’s tips for good grooming are: ‘Cleanliness — freshness in everything […] Neatness — simplicity and neatness make you look pleasing and feel good. Feeling at


fig. 8: Modern Screen, January 1956: 39

fig. 9: Modern Screen, January 1956: 39

home in what she wears aids a woman to be and look her best’ (18). Although it would be impossible to know whether these tips actually came from Kelly, one can certainly see how they reflect her beauty and style as outlined in this essay. Finally, allow me to briefly mention Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, which I have deliberately avoided in this essay, since it follows her process of establishment as a style-icon and should thus be seen rather as the epitome of Grace’s style [fig. 10]. Latter claim is furthermore emphasised by Helen Rose, the costume designer at MGM who created Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. She spoke about designing Grace’s gown, saying ‘I favor elegance so, I particularly enjoyed designing Grace Kelly’s gown. It’s not often that you have a bride with Grace’s carriage and regal air. […] But Grace’s wedding, I think, recaptured some of the old romance and fairy-tale quality for the world. […] in Grace I had a natural subject. She was born to it’ (Modern Screen, July 1956: 82).


fig. 10: Modern Screen, July 1956: 11

BibliographyArticles: Note: all articles accessed through Lantern, Media History Digital Library —

http://lantern.mediahist.org

Modern ScreenAnonymous. ‘Dream Step’ [advert]. October 1952. p. 84.Anonymous. ‘Grace Kelly talks about beauty’. June 1954. p. 18.Anonymous. ‘Lustre-Creme $35,000 Movie-Star Sweepstakes!’ [advert]. November 1956.

p. 18-19.Anonymous. ‘Modern Screen’s Beauty Fair’. June 1954. p. 34-37, 68, 73.Anonymous. ‘Never Dries — it Beautifies!’ [advert]. July 1956Cronin, Steve. ‘Has Kelly found her man?’. December 1954. p. 30-31, 80-81.Cronin, Steve. ‘The whole town’s talking about Kelly!’. October 1954. p. 46-47, 79-80.Finletter, Alice. ‘Ice-cold Kelly: has she got a heart?’. September 1955. p. 28-29, 80-81.Maxwell, Elsa. ‘Elsa Maxwell says: I saw it coming!’. April 1956. p. 38, 90-92.Parsons, Louella. ‘Louella Parsons in Hollywood’. July 1956. p. 9-16.Peterson, Marva. ‘Can Grace teach Hollywood some manners?’. July 1955. p. 32-33,

88-89.Pollock, Louis. ‘Lovely to look at’. May 1954. p. 60-61.Rose, Helen. ‘Designs for Wedding Belles’. July 1956. p. 56-57, 82, 84, 86.Wender, Susan. ‘Kelly knows best: She looked and talked like Grace — but in Carolina,

she didn’t act like Grace’. January 1956. p. 36-39, 67.

ScreenlandAnonymous. ‘Summertimers’. June 1950. p. 54-55. Anonymous. ‘Star Buys’. June 1950. p. 58.

Screenland Plus TVSimone, Yseulte. ‘Match your fragrance to a star’. July 1954. p. 52-53.Tusher, Bill. ‘Grace Kelly: Hollywood’s New Garbo?’. March 1955. p. 12-17.Tusher, Bill. ‘The Two Grace Kellys’. November 1955. p. 46-51.Tusher, Bill. ‘What’s Jean Pierre Aumont got?’. March 1956. p. 28-33, 72.

TV Radio MirrorAnonymous. ‘TV’s Favorite Bachelors Choose the Most Glamorous Women In The World’.

February 1961. p. 9-13, 74-75.Morfield, June. ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t believe it to look at him, but Alfred Hitchcock has a

way with women Grace Kelly Couldn’t Say “No” To’. July 1962. p. 57, 89-90.

Films:

Rear Window (1954) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock [DVD]. [Place of publication not specified]: Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd.


grace kelly: "ethereal beauty and style-icon"

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