Audrey Hepburn
The iconic and influential film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s where Audrey Hepburn solidified as the epitome of style.

Remembering Style Icon Audrey Hepburn
Who comes to mind when I say this person represents elegance, sophistication, and radiance? I will give you a few more hints; she’s the epitome of style, doe-eyed, and a swan-necked gamine actress. Does anyone come to mind? If you’re like me, perhaps you think of Belgium-born and 60s style icon Audrey Hepburn.

Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn. Before she acted (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993), she was a ballerina in London.

Remember, she was “‘S Marvelous” in the Parisian movie Funny Face? However, the 1953 film Roman Holiday catapulted Audrey Hepburn to stardom. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Nevertheless, the 1956 movie Sabrina solidified her 40-year iconic relationship with French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy. Beginning in 1956, Audrey was perfectly outfitted from head to toe personally and professionally by the master couturier.


Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn

Givenchy dressed Audrey in Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, and My Fair Lady. He also designed her beautiful hats and created a fragrance for her, an early celebrity collaboration.

Style Icon Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Givenchy designed a gown in Sabrina, 1954.
Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn is wearing an Edith Head design in Sabrina.
Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Givenchy black cocktail dress in Sabrina. Clothing manufacturers reproduced the black cocktail dress by the thousands that year. It is forever known as The Sabrina dress, and the boat neckline became called The Sabrina neckline.
Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn in 1956.
Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. In the 1956 movie Funny Face, Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire were Marvelous.
Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn quotes, “I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people’s minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing”.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Audrey Hepburn. 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Givenchy little black Italian satin sheath dress sold at auction by Christie’s in 2006 for a quarter of a million dollars.

Oliver Goldsmith designed a custom pair of oversized dark sunglasses just for Audrey Hepburn’s role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Charade. Audrey Hepburn.
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn, 1963 film, Charade.
Cecil Beaton photo of Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Cecil Beaton’s photo of Audrey Hepburn during the filming break, My Fair Lady, August 1963.
Irving Penn photo of Audrey Penn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. 1964 Irving Penn American Vogue photo.
My Fair Lady. style icon Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn’s 1964 film, My Fair Lady.
William Klein photo of style icon Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn. 1965 William Klein photo of Audrey Hepburn.
Style icon, Audrey in promo for movie, How to Steal A Million.
Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn’s 1966 movie, How to Steal a Million.
Style icon Audrey Hepburn, Two for the Road
Audrey Hepburn. 1966 Audrey Hepburn film, How to Steal A Million.
Style icon Audrey Hepburn in movie image promo for Two for the Road.
Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn, 1966 film, How to Steal a Million. Dressed in Givenchy with sunglasses by Lover Goldsmith. Douglas Kirkland image.
Style Icon. Audrey Hepburn with Hubert de Hubert in 1967
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn: Audrey Hepburn in 1967 with Hubert de Givenchy.

In 1967, Ms. Hepburn was instrumental in getting Henri-Louis Vuitton to create the Speedy 25 for her chic travel look.

Two for the Road. Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn’s 1967 movie, Two for the Road. William Klein photo.
Audrey Hepburn. Two for the Road.
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn, wearing a Mary Quaint striped rugby dress in the movie Two for the Road (1967) starring Albert Finney

She is among only 12 who won the Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards. She won an Oscar for Roman Holiday, a Grammy for Enchanted Tales, a Tony for Ondine, and an Emmy for Gardens of the World. U.S. President George H. Bush presented Hepburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her charitable work with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).

U.S. President George H. Bush presented Hepburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her charitable work with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).

Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn as UNICEF Humanitarian 1988-1992.

Audrey Hepburn never forgot the aid she received from UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) as an adolescent in post-World War II Holland. In 1988, she became a UNICEF Ambassador and traveled to more than 20 countries, meeting children who struggled daily to survive.

Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn.

Shortly before Audrey Hepburn died of colon cancer in January 1993, Hepburn gave Hubert de Givenchy more than 25 dresses he had made for her. He distributed the dresses one by one to museums around the world.

Style Icon, Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. Audrey quotes, “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says “I’m possible”!

Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy:  An Elegant Friendship will debut in three museums in Morges, Switzerland, beginning May 20 and running through September 17. The museum exhibitions will feature more than 50 original gowns, hats, and accessories, plus 60 original, previously unseen sketches and photographs celebrating the actress’s and designer’s lives and work.

Style Icon, Audrey Hepburn
Remembering Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn. The actress is strolling with her partner Robert Wolders in the gardens of Villa Borghese in Rome, Italy, February 1982. Image: The Fashion of Audrey.

Audrey married twice, first to the actor Mel Ferrier (September 25, 1954 – December 5, 1954), with whom she had the birth of one son, Sean. She would have a marriage again to Andrea Dotti (January 18, 1969 – September 21, 1982) and had another son with him, Luca. When she passed away in 1993, at 63, her partner was Robert Wolders.

May 4th is the 24th anniversary of Audrey Hepburn’s death. She is still iconic and influential, whether in her films or clothing. Now, that is what I call a true style icon.

Have a fabulous, fierce, and stylish week.