A lavender organdy cocktail dress worn by Grace Kelly in her Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated role as the prim "Linda Nordley" in Mogambo (MGM, 1953).

The custom-made garment, by legendary costume designer Helen Rose, has a fitted boned bodice with a sweetheart neckline, decorative fabric-covered buttons, and three-quarter sleeves with a full multi-layer skirt. The dress is cut on the bias, and the outer shell is a lovely lilac seersucker-silk-organza that references Dior's 1947 "New Look." A beautiful basque waistline emphasizes the volume of the four-layered skirt. The dress has two tiered-ruffled petticoats, with outer layers of dupioni silk and organza. The fitted under-bodice complements the draped neckline and sheer blouson outer layer. The dress has a zip closure and a button placket with blind snaps and hook-and-eyes to conceal the closure. Rose's design encapsulates elegance, femininity, and sophisticated glamour, which Grace Kelly was known for in Hollywood. A bias label typed “Grace Kelly P-777-2636” is present.

Kelly as Linda Nordley wears the dress while at an uneasy dinner at the African base camp alongside her husband, Donald (Donald Sinden). At the dinner, Linda must navigate Eloise "Honey Bear" Kelly's verbal digs aimed at the secretive relationship forming between Linda and the group's leader, Victor Marswell (Clark Gable), whom Honey Bear still has feelings for.

As the film is set on an African safari, this is the most elaborate costume worn by Kelly. Costume design by Helen Rose, who also designed Kelly’s wedding gown for the church ceremony at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral when she wed Prince Rainier III. The dress had professional conservation work performed by Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile.

Includes a DVD of the film.

PROVENANCE Lot 48, "TCM Presents... There's No Place Like Hollywood" Bonham's, New York, November 24, 2014

The dress is in fair condition. The garment has moderate wear and discoloration to the underarms, due to perspiration and age the fabric is beginning to shred and tear, to conserve the original design, keep the garment flat in an acid-free box. The hem of the dress has moderate discoloration from wear, age, and storage. The petticoats have yellowed, common with the age of the fabric.;