Today, I’m taking the day off to bask in the wonders of the total solar eclipse in my part of the world, but I couldn’t leave you all without some Monday sparkle! In honor of today’s event, here’s a look at a celestial pair of earrings worn by Princess Caroline of Monaco for a particularly star-studded 1980s charity event.
On November 3, 1985, the Grimaldis were in California for an event honoring the memory of their late matriarch. Prince Rainier III, Hereditary Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, Princess Stephanie, and Stefano Casiraghi were all on hand for a gala dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The dinner was a fundraising gala for the Princess Grace Foundation, established after the death of their beloved wife and mother in 1982.
Princess Grace’s legacy as an Academy Award-winning actress meant that she had lots of friends in Hollywood, and she maintained many of those relationships even after leaving America to become the Princess of Monaco in 1956. Events that raised money for her charitable foundation always brought out many of the greats of her era. On this particular evening, the Grimaldis were joined by Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, and Frank Sinatra.
Also in attendance were familiar faces like Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Loretta Young, Ernest Borgnine, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and John Forsyth. Liza Minelli provided musical entertainment, and Johnny Carson served as emcee. He delivered a monologue that lampooned the wealthy residents of the area: “Beverly Hills is so exclusive, the local churches have a wine list for communion.” He also poked a little fun at the two princesses in attendance, telling Caroline and Stephanie, “There are three words you’ll never hear: ‘Attention, K-Mart shoppers.'”
Princess Caroline was joined at the dinner by her husband, the Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi. The two had married in 1983 and welcomed a son, Andrea, the following June. They would eventually add two more children, Charlotte and Pierre, to their family before Stefano’s tragic death in 1990.
For the gala, both Caroline and Stephanie wore elegant black gowns with very ’80s accessories. Stephanie wore enormous costume jewelry with her one-shouldered taffeta gown, while Caroline opted for a pair of earrings that echoed the crystals scattered across her black halter dress.
Here’s a closer look at the earrings, which feature crescent moon studs with a trio of trailing pendants like shooting stardust. I’m almost certain that these are costume pieces, perhaps even made to coordinate directly with the dress itself. I’ve looked through my archive but haven’t managed to find another instance of Caroline wearing them.
In many ways, a 1985 charity gala in Beverly Hills packed with stars from classic Hollywood films was the perfect moment to deploy these major statement earrings. Playful and fun, but still on the ’80s side of elegant, the earrings are fascinating to me in part because I think they’d still look interesting today.
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