August 5, 2009 :
RODEO DRIVE WALK OF STYLE®
TO HONOR PRINCESS GRACE (KELLY) OF MONACO AND CARTIER

FIRST ‘CELEBRITY/ICON’ AND ‘JEWELER’ TO BE INDUCTED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLDS OF FASHION AND ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 22 IN BEVERLY HILLS
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco to Accept Award

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The Rodeo Drive Committee and the City of Beverly Hills have announced that Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco (posthumous) and the renowned French jeweler Cartier will be honored with the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174 Award on Thursday, October 22, 2009. The on-going award, inaugurated in 2003, honors style legends for their contributions to the worlds of fashion and entertainment. Both recipients will be celebrated at an evening ceremony, benefiting the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Princess Grace and Cartier will be the first “celebrity/icon” and “jeweler” respectively to be inducted into the prestigious program. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco will accept the Award on behalf of the Princely family. The honorees will both be recognized with a permanent plaque that features a quote and signature placed in the sidewalk on the world-renowned street.

“Princess Grace and the House of Cartier have been key style influencers here on Rodeo Drive and across the globe. We are thrilled to honor both recipients with the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174 Award,” says Wanda McDaniel, Chairman of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174 Selections Committee. “The longstanding relationship between the Monaco Princely family and the esteemed French jeweler made it a natural decision to recognize them jointly.”

Grace Kelly's films, all made between 1951 and 1956, made her an international star and garnered her fans from around the world. Directed by top names as John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kramer, her leading men were established stars including Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, William Holden, and Frank Sinatra. Her strong performance in “The Country Girl,” for which she won the Academy Award in 1954, and her roles in film classics, such as “Rear Window,” “To Catch a Thief” and “High Society,” proved that Grace had not only become a glamorous movie star, but an outstanding actress.

In 1956, Grace Kelly left Hollywood to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Prince Rainier sealed his engagement to Grace Kelly with a platinum Cartier ring bearing an emerald-cut diamond of 10.47 carats. Grace Kelly wore the magnificent engagement ring for the film, "High Society,” her final screen performance before becoming Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco. Throughout their marriage, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier hosted numerous civic and social events at the Palace and paid state visits all over the world. The two were also devoted parents to HRH The Princess of Hanover, HSH Prince Albert, and HSH Princess Stephanie.

Cartier was founded in 1847, after Louis-Francois Cartier took over the jewelry workshop of his master in Paris, France. Being at the heart of Parisian elegance and luxury, Cartier’s grandsons Louis, Pierre and Jacques successfully established Maison Cartier’s foundation, eventually opening new locations in London and New York during the early 1900’s, which are flagship boutiques today. Carrying both novelty and classic jewelry pieces, Cartier expanded its offerings by successfully creating the company’s first wristwatch 1904, which led to the making of many other models.

After Cartier was proclaimed, “Jeweller of Kings and King of Jewellers,” by The Prince of Wales, who was to become Edward VII, and ultimately granted the first Royal warrant as the supplier to the King of England, the company was established as one of the most esteemed jewelers in the world. The French jewelry house went on to receive similar warrants from the courts of Spain, Portugal, Russia, Greece, Belgium, Romania, Egypt, and from the Principality of Monaco in 1920.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in America this year, Cartier has dazzled both films and red carpets with spectacular jewelry for celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Pickford, Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Kate Hudson, Amy Adams, Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, Renee Zellweger, Eva Mendes, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Garner and Cameron Diaz, amongst others. Today, Cartier now continues to be one of the top sellers of luxury jewelry and watches in the world.

“This will be a night of firsts, with the addition of a ‘celebrity/icon’ and ‘jeweler,’” says Susan Moseley Co- Chair of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174. “Inducting Princess Grace and Cartier into the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174 marks the Rodeo Drive Committee’s efforts to advance the program,” says Peri Ellen Berne, Co- Chair of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174.

“Beginning with the late Princess Grace, whose unique roles of movie star and royalty embodied glamour and elegance like no other icon, and continuing today with the renowned jeweler Cartier, whose creations have been worn by celebrities, dignitaries and socialites across the world, both honorees effortlessly unite the worlds of fashion and entertainment,” says Beverly Hills Mayor Nancy Krasne. “The City of Beverly Hills is pleased to have the privilege of recognizing Princess Grace and Cartier with permanent plaques on Rodeo Drive.”

Created by the late sculptor Robert Graham and standing 14-feet tall at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way, "Torso," serves as the symbol for the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style#0174. The Walk of Style#0174 Award, also designed by Mr. Graham, is a maquette of "Torso." Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle, including Rodeo Drive, continues to be the epicenter of fashion and luxury retail on the West Coast with the city’s numerous flagship boutiques and world class specialty stores generating more than $1.3 billion in sales and attracting an estimated 5 million visitors annually.

As the fourteenth and fifteenth recipient of this award, Princess Grace and Cartier follow previous honorees Valentino Garavani (2009), Manolo Blahnik (2008), James Galanos (2007), Gianni Versace and Donatella Versace (2007), Salvatore Ferragamo, Edith Head, James Acheson and Milena Canonero (2006), Herb Ritts and Mario Testino (2005), Tom Ford (2004), and Giorgio Armani (2003). Honorees are selected by an independent committee comprised of media, celebrities, past honorees and academics in the worlds of fashion and entertainment.

To purchase tickets to the event, please contact Levi Pazanti at (310) 201-5033.