Fashion Friday: High Society (1956)

Searching for inspiration to complete your 1950s vintage look? Settle down with a style icon for an afternoon. Rent (or buy) High Society starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra, and featuring gowns designed by Helen Rose.

Credits: Layered Chiffon Ball Gown with Rhinestones and Pink and White Embroidered Flowers, designed by Helen Rose (Source: Annie Couture's Fashion and Costume Designers of the Twentieth Century Hubpage) and sold in 2007 for $220,000. Grace Kelly and Bing Crosbie, High Society (1956) via Vintage Culture. Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, High Society, (1956) via Style Matters. Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, High Society (1956), via Vintage Culture.

Last week I wanted to be Audrey Hepburn. This week I'm dreaming of being Grace Kelly. (Hint next it'll be Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story. High Society is a musical remake of that film.)

Credits (Top to bottom, left to right): Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly, High Society (1956), via Anatomy of a Classic. Grace Kelly, High Society (1956), via Style Matters. Grace Kelly, High Society (1956), via Dr. X's Free Associations. Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra, High Society (1956), via Anatomy of a Classic. Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby, High Society (1956), via Penny Dreadful Vintage. Grace Kelly, High Society (1956), via Bramblewood Fashion.

I love fabrics that drape and flow, and almost all of the costumes Kelly wears in the film do this. (Penny Dreadful Vintage has the most complete coverage of costumes that I've seen.) Want to see how Grace Kelly wears these costumes? Here are some video clips:

• True Love Duet. Kelly wears her coverup and swimsuit.
• The reporters meet Tracy Lord. Kelly wears the blue stripe dress.
• Dance and Kiss. Kelly and Crosby dance.

My favorite dress isn't the evening gown, but her wedding attire (in the first scrapbook page it's the costume in the bottom row, farthest right). Her hat and dress with gloves scream spring.

All of Grace Kelly's costumes for High Society were designed by Helen Rose (bio on Dress: The Art of Wearing Vintage). It appears that she primarily designed for private clients: Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor. Here are some of the vintage dresses that have sold recently or are available now that I found.

The Finds: Wool Tweed Coat, $298.95, from Vintage Bygones; Dress, sold for $395 at Vintageous, spotted on Shop Friends; Floral dress, sold for $380 at Vintageous.

The Finds: Black Jersey with chiffon overlay on skirt and sleeves, $600, from Connie's Closet; $460 from Ancora Vintage; Honeysuckle Evening Gown, sold by Timeless Vixen Vintage.

Where do you go for inspiration? Who are your favorite mid-century designers?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All product images taken by their respective sellers. All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.