Fashion of Audrey Hepburn facts for kids
Audrey Hepburn was a famous actress whose style, both in movies and in her daily life, had a huge impact on fashion trends and pop culture. She is still seen as a major style icon today.
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Audrey Hepburn's Fashion Style
Audrey Hepburn became very famous in the 1950s, and her fashion sense was known for being timeless and well-tailored. She was confident in how she dressed. Audrey liked simple, elegant clothes that showed off her figure. She believed that everyone should find their own unique "look" instead of just following trends. She also thought it was important to add different accessories each season.
Audrey invested in good quality clothes. She carefully planned her outfits for different events. She loved simple designs and elegant looks that suited her, rather than outfits that stood out too much. She preferred to be slightly underdressed rather than overdressed. She once said it was "better to be the only one in a blazer at a black-tie event than be the only one in black tie at a blazer event."
Some of the clothes she often wore included:
- Cigarette pants
- Black polo necks
- Trench coats
- Marinières (striped shirts)
- Headbands
- Waist belts
- Ballet flats
- Oversized white shirts
- Indigo jeans
- Gingham trousers
- Head scarves
She also frequently wore sheath dresses, boat necklines, cropped pants, and button-down shirts. She sometimes wore suits and trousers, but she always added accessories to keep a feminine touch. Her style is often described as sophisticated, simple, elegant, and modern. Audrey usually chose calm colors like black, white, beige, and pink. These colors made her dark eyes and hair stand out. She often wore ballet slippers and flat shoes. She also liked patterns like stripes and gingham. Her everyday outfit was often slack trousers or skirts with a blouse.
Her Friendship with Givenchy
Audrey said that fashion truly "came into her life" when she first met Hubert de Givenchy. He was a famous fashion designer. She thought of him as the "creator of [her] personality." Audrey became his inspiration, and they worked so closely together that people wondered if she created Givenchy's style or if he created hers.
They came up with Audrey's special look: a bateau neckline dress with a fitted top and a full skirt. This outfit was called "The Hepburn Look." It made Givenchy's simple designs very popular and helped his sales. Givenchy also designed the beautiful white lace dress she wore to the 1954 Academy Awards. Audrey called it her "lucky dress." He also designed her second wedding dress, which was a light-pink polo neck mini dress. Audrey bought her clothes from Givenchy instead of borrowing them. From 1956, her movie contracts said that Givenchy would design all her costumes for films set in modern times.
Audrey herself said that Givenchy "gave me a look, a kind, a silhouette. He has always been the best, and he stayed the best. Because he kept the spare style that I love. What is more beautiful than a simple sheath made an extraordinary way in a special fabric, and just two earrings?"
She also became friends with designer Valentino when she moved to Rome. She was often photographed by paparazzi there. Audrey was also close to shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo. She believed that good quality shoes could be worn with simple clothes. Later in her life, she often wore clothes by Ralph Lauren when she wasn't working.
Audrey's Style in Movies
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Audrey's first big movie was Roman Holiday. She played a princess who runs away. Her simple clothes in the movie, along with her gamine (boyish but charming) look, were very new and exciting for the time. Her character first wore fancy gowns. Then she changed into belted midi skirts, lace-up sandals, pretty cotton blouses, ballet flats, and printed silk scarves.
Sabrina (1954)
Her work with Givenchy in the movie Sabrina (1954) helped create the classic looks that defined her style for her whole career. The director, Billy Wilder, sent Audrey to Paris to find real Parisian designs. This is how she met Givenchy. Audrey personally chose several outfits for the film. These included a gray skirt suit and a beautiful strapless white ball gown. She also picked a black cocktail dress with a deep V-back. This dress had a boat neckline, which became known as the décolleté Sabrina. Audrey loved this neckline because it showed off her shape.
Funny Face (1957)
One of her most famous outfits appeared in Funny Face (1957). In this movie, her character, a shy librarian, starts to become more confident. Audrey wore a black polo neck, a tan trench coat, black trousers, and black penny loafers for scenes in France. She also wore a bright red satin gown with long white gloves.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
The 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's is famous for its amazing fashion. In the very first scene, Audrey wore a little black dress. This dress is one of the most famous in movie history and has inspired many copies. It was a long, black satin dress with simple cutouts. She wore it with sunglasses, kitten heels (small heels), a pearl necklace, and a hair brooch. Other outfits in the film included an oversized white men's shirt, jeans with a simple sweatshirt, and a hot pink dress. Breakfast At Tiffany's is seen as Audrey's most important film. It made her a true style icon.
My Fair Lady (1964)
In My Fair Lady (1964), Audrey played Eliza Doolittle. The movie shows her character changing through fashion. One iconic outfit was a white lace gown with ribbons, a matching umbrella, and a wide black-and-white hat.
How to Steal a Million (1966)
In the 1966 film How to Steal a Million, Audrey played the daughter of an art forger. Her outfits mixed fancy aristocratic style with 1960s trends. She wore sculpted clothes, bright overcoats, fancy jewelry, and white sunglasses.
Audrey's Fashion Legacy
Audrey Hepburn was added to the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List in 1961. After she became famous, the department store Barneys New York even launched a clothing line inspired by her style. After Audrey passed away in 1993, Givenchy sent many of her gowns to museums around the world.
When Givenchy retired in 1995, Vanity Fair magazine wrote about "Audrey Revivalism." This meant that people became very interested in Audrey's life and fashion again. Many fans wanted to copy her looks. Her own collection of clothes was shown at Christie's London in 2017.
Audrey's style has inspired many celebrities today. These include Beyoncé, Natalie Portman, Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, and Meghan Markle. Her movie costumes have also influenced fashion in other films and TV shows, like Big Little Lies and Emily in Paris. Many designers, like Zara and Michael Kors, have created clothes inspired by Audrey.
Audrey Hepburn has been on many "best-dressed" lists. These include "100 Fashion Icons" for Time magazine and "Most Influential Fashion Icons Of All Time" for StyleCaster. Her status as an icon after her lifetime has kept her style popular. Young women during and after her life have looked up to her style. Her most famous outfits are still easily recognized by people today. Audrey Hepburn is often called one of the most elegant women in history.
Gallery
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Hepburn wearing a blouse and silk scarf Roman Holiday (1953)
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Hepburn participating in a charity fashion show for Givenchy in 1956
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Hepburn wearing a sweater with cropped gingham shorts, c. 1954
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Hepburn in a light belted a-line sundress and straw hat in Switzerland, c. 1954
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Hepburn in a black polo neck and black trousers during rehearsals in 1956
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Hepburn wears a Givenchy gown in a promotional photograph for Funny Face (1957)
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Hepburn wearing a button-up wool overcoat and gloves in 1959
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Hepburn wearing sunglasses, gloves, and a headscarf for in publicity photograph for Charade (1963)
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Hepburn's second wedding dress, designed by Givenchy, in 1967
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Hepburn wearing an off-the-shoulder satin black evening gown in 1981
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See also
- Fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales
- Fashion of Madonna
