By Gail O’Neill, Style Editor

As chief wardrobe designer for MGM Studios from 1943 through the late 1960’s, Helen Rose dressed Lena Horne for “Stormy Weather” in 1943, Ava Gardner for “Mogambo” in 1953 and Elizabeth Taylor for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” in 1958. But it was not until she dressed Grace Kelly for her real-life wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 that Rose’s place among fashion royalty was firmly cemented.

MGM gifted the peau de soie and lace masterpiece to Kelly– which perfectly reflected her look-but-don’t-touch appeal as a screen goddess– and the strapless under-bodice with lace overlay, high cinched waist and full skirt has been the gold standard for princess brides everywhere for nearly 60 years.

While rare, the refined silhouette made a few appearances at Bridal Fashion Week in NY for the Spring 2014 collections– including a few thoroughly modern twists on the timeless classic at Monique Lhuillier!

READ MORE ABOUT GAIL O’NEILL, OUR NEW STYLE EDITOR 

Gail O’Neill is a journalist, blogger and style editor at Southern Season magazine.

Her blog “The Gaily Planet” is a compilation of essays on popular culture, business, politics, sports, style and film; while her articles for Southern Seasons focus on tastemakers from the worlds of fashion, art, commerce and philanthropy.

Most recognizable for her work in television, Gail has hosted several prime time series and specials for HGTV— including their signature series “Mission: Organization,” “Christmas at the White House” and “Behind the Design of HGTV’s Dream Home.” Prior to joining HGTV, Gail hosted CNN’s weekly series ‘Travel Now,’ produced, wrote and anchored hourly news updates for the network’s on-line program ‘QuickCast,’ and wrote a weekly column called Gail O’Neill’s Style File for cnn.com. A native New Yorker, Gail was introduced to her local TV market as a features reporter for WCBS-TV News. Within two years she moved to CBS’s ‘The Early Show, where she reported on film and entertainment.

Prior to Gail’s career as a television journalist, a chance encounter with a fashion photographer at San Francisco’s International Airport led to a career as a supermodel. Gail was signed by a top modeling agency and featured on the cover of British Vogue magazine within months. Her career took Gail around the globe as a fixture on catwalks in New York, Paris, and Milan; as the subject of magazine editorials for Vogue, Elle and Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue; as the face of countless advertising campaigns for clients like Revlon, Cover Girl and Clairol; and as muse to bold-name photographers including Patrick Demarchalier, Peter Lindbergh and Steven Meisel.

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Gail divides her time between homes in New York City and Atlanta.