Grace Kelly

There are some lovely dresses in the V&A's Grace Kelly exhibition, there's no doubt, but I'm not sure anything (apart from some extraordinary headpieces she wore for the lavish costume balls she revived as a fixture on Monaco's social calendar) really wows. The collection on show takes key items from her wardrobe as an actress, both on screen and off, and charts her sartorial evolution into a princess - via her wedding, trousseau, pregnancies, state events and grand parties. Accompanying pictures show her looking undeniably amazing in the dresses, it's true, but she wears the dresses, not they her. The fashion houses of Madame Gres, Givenchy, Christian Dior all feature, but there's nothing stand out showstopping - you're never left slack jawed with awe at any single outfit. She favoured fairly demure, simple dresses, with devil in the detail so that her beauty was the main event. The dresses alone seem quite ordinary without her bringing them to life.

She did, however, seem to have a sense of playfulness which she unleashed in her accessories - imaginative hats and fabulous turbans, colourful glasses and giant sunglasses (she was one of the first to pioneer glasses as fashion accessory, being very shortsighted and keen on being able to actually see, and wanting to accessorise her glasses with her outfits) surprisingly eccentric brooches and curiously patterned shoes. and then there's the bag. the 'it' bag to end all 'it' bags, which is a legacy in itself. I say no more...