Grace Kelly’s costume for High Society – Courtesy of Monica D. Murgia
Why fashion illustration?
This was the only method of distributing fashion information for centuries. Paintings , prints, and drawings were the only visual methods of documenting fashion until the 1850s, with the advent of the modern camera. Photography was problematic for several decades after this. Exposure times were long, forcing people to sit very still for several minutes.
The duel between illustration and photography continued …during WWII most common materials were rationed for the war effort, including textiles, cosmetics, and the chemicals used to develop film. Illustrations continued through the war.
1947 was a pivotal year in fashion, in which Christian Dior created the “New Look”, ushering glamorous silhouettes and unbridled use of fabrics and trim, speared by Rene Gruau – one of the most prolific fashion illustrators of the Post-War era.
Grace Kelly’s costume by Helen Rose for High Society – Courtesy of Monica D. Murgia
During this time, America’s most prominent fashion illustrators were Hollywood costume designers. It is often easy to dismiss costume designers’ contributions to fashion history, since the focus tends to be primarily on New York. An extremely influential costume designer of that era was Helen Rose, who also worked closely with Grace Kelly on and off the set. In 1929 Helen Rose moved to Los Angeles in a career culminating as chief costume designer for MGM. Rose costumed over 200 films and worked with Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, grace Kelly, Deborah Kerr, and Esther Williams.
Grace Kelly’s costume for Rear Window – Courtesy of Monica D. Murgia
Edith Head was a costume sketcher at Paramount Pictures and also worked very closely with Grace Kelly.
See more Grace Kelly Fashion Illustrations and read more interesting stories by Fashion Educator & Archivist Monica D. Murgia
