Though Grace Kelly only acted for five years, in 11 films, her classic beauty and understated elegance won admirers and emulators for decades to come. From her red carpet gowns, to her chic shirtwaist dresses, to her use of an Hermes scarf as a sling for an injured arm, she remains a style inspiration.
Unlike many Hollywood actresses of her era, Grace Patricia Kelly’s tale is not a “rags to riches” saga. She was born to John Brennan “Jack” Kelly, a self-made millionaire and three-time gold medalist sculler on the U.S. Rowing Team, and Margaret Katherine Majer, famous for founding and becoming the first coach of the University of Pennsylvania Women’s Athletic Teams. Her sophisticated upbringing goes a long way toward explaining her style—as both glamorous Hollywood royalty and actual royalty, when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
