Charlotte Casiraghi Channels Grandmother Grace Kelly in Paris: A Black Chanel Dress and Earrings Worth Around $101,800

Charlotte Casiraghi, Grace Kelly's granddaughter, arrived at the Palais Garnier on 10 October for the opening of the Paris Opera Ballet's new 2026-2027 season. Last year, at the season opening, she wore black. This year - black again. When a formula works, Monaco doesn't change it.

The dress is Chanel: midi length, thin straps, a deep V-neckline, sheer panels and a soft, flowing skirt with small, loose ruffles. The cut carries a feel of the 1920s - the era in which Coco Chanel freed women's bodies from the corset. With it: black satin heels and a low, neatly gathered bun, ballerina-style.

The detail that carries the whole look is on her ears. Chanel's "Comète Couture" earrings, in 18-carat white gold with diamonds, climb up the ear, and their reference price is around 101,800 dollars. A sum many people would buy a flat with - and the look is being described as "quiet elegance".

Fashion chroniclers immediately drew a line back to the grandmother. In 1960 Grace Kelly entered the Hall of Fame of the International Best-Dressed List, and Charlotte's mother, Princess Caroline, also dressed in Chanel. But here comes the part that's usually said quietly: Charlotte is an official Chanel ambassador. The inherited elegance is real - but so is the contract. When we admire her outfit, how much of it is taste, and how much is a marketing campaign with a royal surname?

The evening's programme was the traditional "Défilé du Ballet", a new choreography by Juliano Nunes and two works entering the repertoire: Jean-Christophe Maillot's "Vers un pays sage" and Aszure Barton's "Busk". The ballet was on stage. The fashion, as always, was in the boxes.