Who doesn’t know the “Kelly bag” by Hermes? Probably every elegant woman in the world wants one. The waitlist is years long. Resales boom.
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But have you ever asked yourself for whom the bag was named?
The bag, named Petit Sac à Courroies, was first designed by Hermes in 1935 – and, believe it or not, it was not a success. But…. that changed dramatically when American actress Grace Kelly …
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… had to carry one onscreen in one of her Hitchcock thrillers and came to love it so much that she kept carrying one privately. This was the public breakthrough…
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Already a star, with an Academy Award and three Golden Globes to her credit, she was copied by a whole generation of fashionable women – and when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, “Princess Gracia Patricia” became a forever fashion icon.
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No matter that she’d be nearly 100 years old by now – her effortless elegance is as stunning today and still serves as inspiration to designers and fashionistas alike (think: Red Carpet….)
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Photo credit: Pinterest
Photo credit: Pinterest
And in terms of bridal couture: her dress was clearly an inspiration to Kate Middleton’s…
Why am I presenting an actress who would have turned 100 years old next year?
Because she was a style icon, a strong woman and had an amazing intellect on top of that. Her style is really timeless (and very sexy!) – which is why lots of young women try to emulate her, now, in 2025.
Photo credit: Frank Podolny, 1953
Do you see the beauty mark that supermodel Cindy Crawford made famous again?! Here are a few facts about amazing Marilyn Monroe: born Norma Jeane Baker, in 1926; died under suspicious circumstances in 1962. Rumor has it that her “suicide” was actually staged … in the context of her affair with then-US President J. F. Kennedy.
Aside from reigning the movie screen, she inspired a whole generation with her effortlessly elegant, unashamedly sexy and luxurious style:
She was a muse to the leading artists of her time – her portrait, done by Andy Warhol, is iconic.
Digital print template available on etsy
To the present day, she is the model for chic women worldwide, including – styled photo shoots.
And she keeps inspiring – case in point: the cover of March 2025 Vogue magazine! Who else but Marilyn was the inspiration?!
Marilyn was a ravishing beauty, for sure! But what hardly anyone knows is that Marilyn was an avid reader of literature, poetry, theater, philosophy, kept a library of more than 1,000 books and had insatiable curiosity and hunger for knowledge. She also had a crush on Albert Einstein, the greatest genius of her time. Marilyn is said to have told Einstein, with charming frankness, “You and I could have a child: I would come out with my beauty and your intelligence.” To which the father of relativity and the atomic bomb replied: “Maybe it will come out with my beauty and your intelligence.” It was not yet known (the tests were done later), that Marilyn Monroe’s IQ was 165, (five points above the “greatest genius of all time”)!! So there goes the myth of the “dumb blonde…” And how did she feel about her role in life? In her own words: “One of the best things that has happened to me is that I am a woman. That’s the way all women should feel.” “I want to age without facelifts. I want to have the courage to be true to the face I’ve made.” ” If I had followed all the rules, I would never have gotten anywhere.”
