She famously wanted to be alone, but a new exhibition that opened in London on February 15 offers visitors the chance to get to know a very different side to the mysterious Greta Garbo – by way of her clothes.
Miss G: The Private World of Greta Garbo, curated by fashion journalist and author Bronwyn Cosgrave and jewellery designer Julia Muggenburg, features some surprising items. A vibrantly patterned yoga onesie with matching headband represents Garbo's athletic side. "She was very healthy," says Cosgrave. "She had to maintain her body, so she did yoga. She was an early follower of Joseph Pilates. Yes – before Jane Fonda there was Garbo!"
A rather homely pink-and-white striped cotton apron replete with yellow cooking stains gives visitors a glimpse into a very different side of the enigmatic star, who is historically regarded as the epitome of dark and dangerous glamour. "I think the apron says it all," Cosgrave says. "It counters the dark persona she had on screen because of [her roles in] Mata Hari and Ninotchka. It hints at her secret world: she was warm and an entertainer in her beautiful home."
Other pieces on display at the Belmacz Gallery in London, such as dresses by her favourite designer, Valentina, fit more with the starkly elegant image of Garbo we know and love. "She followed Valentina's dictate to 'dress for the century, not the moment' so you see this very spare aesthetic," Cosgrave explains.
A trio of black straw hats from the 1940s reflect another well-known side of the Swedish film star – the one that shunned the attentions of the press, using fashion as a literal shield from popping flashbulbs. "She commandeered sunglasses and hats as a form of protection against the paps, who really stalked her," Cosgrave adds.
To complement the exhibition, two designers have contributed pieces in homage to Garbo. Manolo Blahnik, known for his towering range of high heels, has, surprisingly, created a two-tone lace-up campus flat, influenced by a 1926 Don Gillum photograph of Garbo posing among athletes at the University of California. Blahnik also took inspiration from a real-life encounter he had with Garbo at his store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.
"She used to walk up and down there all the time," Blahnik remembers. "We had croissants in the window as part of the display. She stood outside. 'Oh what a waste!' she said. And she was wearing those (brown lace-up) kind of shoes."
A long-time Garbo devotee, Blahnik believes that her appeal was in her ability to always be herself, sartorially speaking. "That's what I like about her – she got an idea and she did it for ever. She is timeless."
Milliner Stephen Jones took a creation Garbo wore in the 1939 spy comedy Ninotchka as his starting point. "That hat was supposed to represent western decadence and really the film was totally about the hat," he says. He also cites Garbo's love of "practicality and comfort" as key to the jersey fabric he chose.
If you fancy getting your hands on a bit of Garbo, good news: the pieces will be offered for sale in a silent charity auction, with reserves starting at £250. It could be a worthwhile investment – Vogue's fashion director, Lucinda Chambers, believes the fascination with the star will endure. "Her beauty was so wonderful," she says. "It combined intelligence and strength with Hollywood allure. Garbo also had an air of mystery and distance and that is always interesting and challenging."
• Miss G: The Private World of Greta Garbo is at the Belmacz Gallery, 45 Davies Street, London until 19 March. Belmacz.com
