An oasis of style and serenity

Amongst General Election fever and politicians' gaffes, oases of serenity and style can still be found. One such oasis I suggest is the V&A exhibition Grace Kelly: Style icon which opened last week and runs until 26 September http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/index.html. Before she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 Grace Kelly was a Hollywood actress, a beautiful ice-cool leading lady starring in Hitchcock films such as Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and MGM's High Society, her final film.

The exhibition displays Grace Kelly's wardrobe - over 50 outfits together with hats, jewellery and the original Hermès Kelly bag. You can follow the evolution of her style from actress to princess in the dresses designed for her film roles, including the gown she wore to accept her Oscar for High Society in 1955, to her wedding lace ensemble a year later. Thirty five haute couture gowns from the 1960s and 70s by her favourite couturiers Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Yves St Laurent are on display. The exhibition also includes film clips and posters, photographs and Grace Kelly's Oscar statuette. A style fest!

What is Elegance?

One of the reference books I keep in my pile of bedtime reading is A Guide to Elegance by French style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux. Originally published in the 1960s this book is an absolute classic on style, what to wear – and not to wear! It richly deserves Harper Collins’ re-publication in the 21 century (http://tinyurl.com/y2ur2yx). Madame Dariaux sets out her bon mots, practical ideas from Accessories to Zippers in succinct style: colour combinations, the female figure, sex and personality. In the Foreword she poses the question ‘What is Elegance?’ in relation to personal adornment and fashion. The word elegance comes from the Latin eligere which means to select. Mme Dariaux suggests that elegance is a sort of harmony resembling beauty, the difference being that beauty is a gift of nature whilst elegance is the result of art.” So Madame Dariaux’ mission in life – and Eleganza’s – is to aid women in the art of being well-dressed and elegant.