How Audrey Changed My Life

This is the very first image I ever saw of Audrey Hepburn--strolling out of a taxicab in the morning, danish and coffee in hand, huge tortoise shell sunglasses on, with the chicest little black dress and costume jewelry I ever saw. I'm sure this is many women's first encounter with her. "So this is Breakfast at Tiffany's?" I thought. A film name I've heard of in passing. The iconic image of Audrey in her little LBD was surely seen on calendars or in picture frames at Walmart and HomeGoods. This film was my introduction to old films, vintage clothing/home decor, and honestly my identity--which sounds extreme, but is nothing but the truth!

This film is a small fragment of all of the reasons I love Audrey Hepburn. Tiffany's is one of many amazing movies on her filmography list. Though her image is popular, I am always disappointed to find that most people don't realize that Audrey had a life of hardships (that she overcame), starred in film roles that should place her as one of the best Old Hollywood actresses, was self styled and self made, and contributed her remaining years to philanthropy in a self sacrificial way up until she was diagnosed with cancer in 1993.

"I'm just crazy about Tiffany's!" When I first watched Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) I was absolutely mesmerized! I was starstruck over the gorgeous skyscraper shots (NYC never looked better!), Givenchy's impeccable costumes, Paul Varjak's handsomeness, and that cute kitty all shot in glorious Technicolor. But it was Audrey Hepburn that I was struck with! Not just the exterior image of her, but her persona and the charm and poise she held even in scenes where Holly Golightly was coming undone. There was a charm to Audrey that somehow felt relatable. She was glamorous (in the sense of the clothes and the way she was living) yet she felt like a woman you may know.

Breakfast at Tiffany's was my first time watching an old film on my own. It came on TCM one day and I decided to watch out of curiosity. After that day, I bought the film on VHS and watched it every night for months, then once a week. I was a freshman in high school, still trying to figure out my style and identity. At that point I had no idea what vintage was nor did I know about Old Hollywood glamour. But this was my first glimpse into the world and I fell madly in love with it! I never saw a woman carry herself the way women in old films did. I realized that I did not want to admire these women (specifically Audrey) on the screen and continue about my life in an unglamorous way. I wanted to embody that look and persona for myself!

From that point on, I studied Audrey Hepburn like a field anthropologist. I watched Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), War and Peace (1956), Funny Face (1957), whatever TCM or Cinemoi showed.

For the longest, I tried to figure out what is it about Audrey that draws so many fans (including me) to her? Sure, there's an endearing charm to her but why has she evolved into the icon that she's become? The answer came to me clearly one day. If you look at glamorous stars like Elizabeth Taylor or Grace Kelly, there's something that feels inaccessible about them. Maybe it's the extreme Christian Dior New Look silhouettes that Edith Head donned on them or maybe it was their aloof personas. Whereas Audrey feels ACCESSIBLE. In many of her films, Audrey's characters undergo a major transformation. She goes from a plain dressed, unconfident girl to a sophisticated, Parisian style woman. Her garments incorporate a slight minimalism, clean silhouettes, and a sensible color palette. If you really observe her costumes in Tiffany's, you'll notice that she pairs simple dresses with huge costume jewelry in fun colors. Her hair is normally chopped off and cropped into a more mature cut to go with the clothing.

I will never forget my first experience putting on a little black dress was such a magical moment. I sewed myself a simple black sheath made with a vintage style pattern. The beauty of Audrey's look is that it can be accessed with little money and very few items. Prior to Audrey becoming a huge actress, she was noted for having a very simple wardrobe of a few simple dresses, flats, a pair of baby heels, and tons of scarves that she would use as different accessories.

Audrey understood her body type. If you watch Roman Holiday (1953), Edith Head tries to stuff Audrey's thin body into New Look silhouettes. Hepburn wears full skirts that swallow up her thin figure. Edith Head attempted to dress Audrey the same way she did Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Holliday--women with curvier figures. During filming of Sabrina (1954), Audrey went to Paris to find more suitable looks for her character. She rejected Edith Head's initial costumes for the streamlined looks of then young designer Givenchy. She was self styled and knew what worked for her body.

Sabrina showcased Audrey in tailored costumes that fit more snuggly to the body. The cuts of her outfits were to elongate her figure--V-necks in the back instead of front, high cut shorts, etc. Givenchy's clothing celebrated Audrey's body instead of attempting to hide it.

Believe it or not Audrey experienced a ton of criticism for her body proportions during the 1950s. The typical actress's measurements were at least 34-24-36. Hepburn's measurements were: 34A-20-34 and her height was 5"7, which was tall for a woman during that time. Audrey's body was the product of malnourishment from childhood during WWII. Her body never bounced back and she weighed no more than 110 lbs her entire life.

Paramount was privately worried about Audrey Hepburn when they first signed her for Sabrina because she was so different than the typical American actress of that time. She was considered a foreigner with an "unfeminine" body. One critic harshly noted, "Costumed to emphasize her lack of what are technically known as secondary sexual characteristics." Despite these criticisms, women all over America fell madly in love with Audrey and Sabrina became the third highest grossing film of 1954, solidifying Hepburn as a star.

Despite the immense amount of admiration of millions of people around the world, Audrey Hepburn was very insecure. She constantly wore flats due to her insecurities over her height and she never truly felt beautiful.

The beauty about Audrey Hepburn is that she somehow balances atypicality and relatablity. She was unmanufactured by production companies and was able to assert her true identity in every role that she played. If that isn't enough to endear one to her, her humanitarian work was remarkable. She dedicated the remainder of her life to traveling around the world to various continents to provide food, medicine, and clothing to those who children and families who needed it due to her own history with impoverishment.

I can't end a post about Audrey Hepburn without mentioning some film recommendations to watch. Audrey has so many fashionably iconic films that fans often overlook some of her films that better demonstrate her wonderful acting skills. A few that I'd recommend are:

- Two for the Road (1967) which deals with a married couple who are struggling to keep their marriage afloat. The film goes through a timeline (in non-chronological order) from the first time the two meet until the present day. (1960s Audrey looks are just as iconic as 1950s!) - The Children's Hour (1961) is about two elementary school teachers (one played by Hepburn, one played by Shirley Maclaine) who are accused by a cruel student of being lesbians which causes the town to go into an uproar. Both actresses played Oscar worthy performances. - Wait Until Dark (1967) is a dark film starring Audrey as a blind woman who deals with violent criminal searching in her apartment of narcotics by a smuggler and two con artists.

- The Nun's Story (1959) is a compelling story about Sister Luke, a young Belgian woman who decides to enter a convent and has to make a lot of sacrifices in order to do so.

Thanks to this woman I was able to discover my own true style and self identity through reinvention and transformation. The power of transforming the outer shell of one's self is that it truly helps the inner self!

I hope you enjoyed my Audrey overload and I will see you next Friday darlings!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photographs in this post.