Audrey Hepburn Changed Fashion Forever

[Music] won't you join me this classic little black dress will always be in style when it comes to classic films this is one you can't miss when audrey hepburn first waltzed in to the first scene of the 1961 film adaptation of truman capote's beloved novella audiences everywhere marveled at the beauty and elegance of a simple little black dress an iconic look that's been replicated time and time again hepburn changed the game of fashion in that film known as breakfast at tiffany's when the young doe-eyed actress steps out of a cab onto new york's fifth avenue the morning manhattan sun hits her elegant attire instantly drawing the audience into the magical world of the enigmatic hollygo lightly there's something special about the black italian satin gown custom made by designer hubert deja vinci that made audrey look like the epitome of a movie star leading lady although audrey wasn't the first to wear a little black dress the concept began in the 1920s with coco chanel's innovative visions of women's fashion hepburn was the one to bring the look securely into the 1960s the scene in which holly enjoys her breakfast after a night out introduces both the aesthetic of the classic film and the character's signature look the sleeveless dress oozed sophistication with a touch of vulnerability with its snug fit and slightly open back sheath's style and cinched at the waist the image of audrey in the javinci ensemble and oversized cigarette holder has become one of the most recognized and memorable images of the actress herself as well as in american cinematic history javinci designed the customized elegant silhouette for the actress to accentuate her unique figure the dress was chic simple delicate and parisian the sought-after feel of the elite 1960s manhattan women it suited audrey perfectly a designer who worked on the film set recalled that in order for the gown to fall exactly right during filming horse hair and small weights were sewn inside helping to create the perfect silhouette the look was accessorized with a necklace from tiffany's decorated with rows of pearls the piece hangs down over the actress's back and collarbone and was made by roger skamama a french jewelry designer who often worked with javinci audrey was also styled with a brooch in her hair diamond clip-on earrings black satin pointed heels and long black opera gloves she also wore black tortoiseshell sunglasses indicative of the character's long night out on the town the dark shades sometimes thought to be ray-bans are actually from a designer in london called oliver goldsmith the brand re-released the sunglasses in 2011 as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the american film they sold for 440 as audrey's character finishes her breakfast of coffee in a danish the audience sees her walking away down fifth avenue throwing a flowing silk scarf over her shoulder and portraying the epitome of effortless chic even before the dress was designed for the film audrey held a close connection with juveau d givenchy the master kocherier of the house of javinci the pair met on the set of one of audrey's previous films and continued to team up for many other projects throughout audrey's film career she would refer to the designer as her best friend and he even called her a sister their friendly relationship continued throughout the star's career and the designer's work can be seen in at least seven of her films the original dress design for the film was cut off at the knee and showed off the actresses calves the revealing look was deemed inappropriate for cinema audiences and the movie's costume designer edith head designed a sleek skirt attachment that was added underneath the lower half of the dress and covered hepburn down to her shoes the edited version can be clearly seen in the 1961 movie's press poster another scene in the film featured a shorter sleeveless dress by javinci with a sheath style and flared bottom hepburn's character wears the looser day dress with a black oversized wide-brimmed hat with its long white scarf holly finished her look with rhinestone earrings and black alligator shoes which she enlists her new neighbor to help find i can't do something about the way i look she says as she gets ready for her weekly visit to sing sing after five minutes of effort the character looks as gorgeous as if she had an entire glam team another look that has been recreated for endless costume parties is the memorable bed head look which misco lightly pulls on in it's her sleepy right it could happen to anyone quite frequently does goodness the oversized men's shirt bare feet and silk eye mask designed by edith head became one of many iconic looks within the film and had viewers instantly falling in love with the carefree party girl with a few secrets up her shirt sleeves and if the little black dress wasn't enough to convince you of holly go lightly's perfectly effortless and classic wardrobe just take a look at the little hot pink dress [Music] the t-length cocktail dress accessorized with a silver clutch was designed for the actress by the paramount costume department and featured fan-shaped appliques accented with small rhinestones and a pink bow at the waist the dress sold at auction with christie's for 192 thousand dollars in 2007. to give herself a 60s cool girl vibe audrey also added a few streaks of blonde to her brunette locks producers felt it added some jazz to her look audrey later said of the chunky highlights it was nice to become a new girl as easily as that i liked it so much i decided to keep it for off screen holly's boxy knits from the film are another fail-safe for fashion a good knit will never go out of style think neutral colored turtlenecks or go bold like hepburn's character with a tomato colored wool pea coat and fur hat that's new york city elite in a nutshell audrey also rocks the boxy top look in her famous moon river scene paired with cropped jeans and a headband throw in a camel trench coat and ballet flats and you've got a wardrobe that will be trending for years to come finally who can forget holly's look for her cocktail party yes that's a bath sheet being worn by this stylish actress in a scene cut from final editing paulie is taking a bath before her party and has to improvise an outfit to greet her guests she soon changes into her signature black dress for the rest of the party with javinci and the costume team's help audrey's personal style and personality were able to shine through her character in a way that was unprecedented in film history edward's film met positive reviews with reporters singing the praises of the talented leading lady the hollywood reporter's 1961 review wrote an unusual love story glamorous sophisticated with more than a touch of the bizarre miss hepburn is responsible to a great degree for the credibility of her complex character and gives a winning portrayal for fans of the film it's hard to imagine anyone but audrey playing the lead role but when capote and screenwriter george axelrod first began writing the screenplay version of the story producers actually had someone else in mind to play holly instead of audrey capote was picturing the original blonde bombshell marilyn monroe for the role when he first sold the rights to paramount pictures when monroe turned it down because of the immoral nature of the character as written in the book edwards chose hepburn capote later revealed that he felt hepburn wasn't the right fit for the character as written in the original story but the screenplay was adapted to suit her unique look and persona the actress's previous roles in the box office hits roman holiday in 1953 the nun story in 1959 and sabrina in 1954 helped her to land the gig she said however that she was intrigued by the interesting character and breakfast at tiffany's and was excited to move away from the traditionally feminine roles of princesses or nuns by the time the film hit theaters audrey had an established position within hollywood's elite audrey's work on the film although one among her long resume became synonymous with the actress's name audrey brought holly to life despite the character's many flaws young women to this day idolize the stylish manhattan call girl a testament to audrey's effortless portrayal of a girl with a tough past and uncertain future audrey's accurate portrayal of a lost girl in the big city was partly thanks to events from her childhood born in brussels belgium in 1929 audrey's parents sent her to live in kent england at the age of eight to receive a british education when war broke out in 1939 audrey was moved once again to attend a boarding school in the netherlands she had to go by a fake name etta van heemstra after her mother's maiden name to avoid attention during the german occupation it was there that audrey began her introduction into the world of art and entertainment her training began with ballet she continued to study dance even as her family moved around europe during the war the teenage hepburn performed silent dance performances to help raise money for the resistance after the war ended audrey continued dancing earning a scholarship to a prestigious ballet school in london her first big break was in a broadway production of gigi in 1951. this led to her career in stage acting and her eventual breakout into film acting she became a star with her role in roman holiday opposite hollywood star gregory peck for which she unexpectedly won an academy award for best actress that night audrey walked the oscar's red carpet in another number by none other than javinci the white floral lace dress with its high neck and belted waist became another instant classic especially since the young actress took home the most coveted trophy of the night some of the greatest moments of fashion in american cinema history actually belonged to audrey in an era of voluptuous curves as the ideal female body type audrey brought a different look to the world of fashion which became indicative of popular 60s models like the thin figured twiggy and eddie sedgwick with their pixie cuts and full eyebrows throughout hepburn's early career during the golden era of film many of her on-screen outfits became well-known and vastly replicated attractive and mysterious hepburn helped change the face of women's fashion the star's contribution to fashion history earned her the award of being on the international best dressed list hall of fame a prestigious list created by eleanor lambert in the 40s and now headed by vanity fair audrey's on-screen characters made every woman want silk head scarves pleated high-waisted pants belted at the waist boyish boxy sweaters and of course the infamous outfit from funny face in the cinematic musical audrey was able to show off her singing and dancing talents for her role in the film audrey once again worked with javinci for gowns and costume designer edith head who won an oscar for her on-screen designs the musical itself was a tribute to parisian style and fashion but the most famous look from the film was inspired by audrey's own personal style the all-black ensemble of tailored pants turtleneck and loafers worn for a dance sequence with co-star fred astaire was as legend has it customized by audrey herself when she suggested that the outfit should feature a bright pop of white socks instead of matching black it wouldn't be the same without them although some of audrey's silver screen ball gowns and luxurious accessories are a little out of reach for the average viewer other outfits from hepburn's films have become staples for women because of their effortless and classic ease in sabrina audrey sports a plaid shirt and white shorts while on a boat pieces most women already have in their closet her midi length skirt belt white blouse and neck scarf from roman holiday are also an attainable and timeless look what's amazing about audrey's style is that her signature looks seemed to always be at the forefront of fashion trends none of her character's attire however was as iconic and timeless as the satin black dress although some aspects of the film have not stood the test of time the costumes and outfits worn by hepburn's character have without a doubt offered a major influence on fashion and classic looks still worn by women today after her successful career in hollywood audrey hepburn went on to influence the world in other ways although not as widely known as her acting work hepburn's humanitarian efforts made as big an impact on the world as she did on screen the actress devoted her life to working with unicef in a 1988 interview with global news hepburn said that before traveling to ethiopia she didn't fear the difficult situation she would face but saw it as a privilege to be able to help i was so eager to go it was an extraordinary trip i came back very encouraged she also added speaking of her own experience as a child it's in the human spirit to remember a giving hand i can testify to what unicef means to children because i was among those who received food and medical relief right after world war ii audrey was able to use her platform star power and fame to advocate for children facing hunger crises during her trip to ethiopia she witnessed firsthand the effects of the droughts and famine upon her return she brought awareness to the issues by giving hundreds of interviews spreading the word to americans who could offer their support hepburn worked as an ambassador for unicef all of her life until her later years when she retired to her house in the country tending to a garden and her dogs the audrey hepburn children's fund created by the actress's sons then carried on her work for years to come these days fans of the star and the iconic film can still visit pieces of the outfit while audrey kept one copy of the dress a copy of the original leg bearing gown being in the javinci private archives and another copy at the museum of garments in madrid the second javinci dress from the film was sold at auction by christie's in 2006 for 947 000 u.s the money went to a charity for children in calcutta although audrey may not have been able to keep the custom dress after the film wrapped she did have a chance to live out holly's tiffany dream in real life for publicity shots for the film's release hepburn is seen wearing a yellow diamond necklace the same piece of jewelry that hepburn's character holly stares at longingly in the film's opening scene after the film's release tiffany's although already established as a luxury retailer saw a huge surge in popularity with many american women hoping for a chance to gaze through the fifth avenue store windows feeling like the beautiful and elegant audrey hepburn as holly hollygo lightly rightly says nothing very bad could happen to you there the little black javinci dress left a lasting impression on the golden era of hollywood and became an iconic moment in the history of fashion and film as hepburn's legacy of goodwill lives on as does her influence on classic and elegant style good night [Music] a little black dress truly never goes out of style and just happens to look great on anyone what's your favorite breakfast at tiffany's look let us know in the comments and subscribe to the taco for more videos about the greatest moments in fashion history [Music]

Channel: TheThings Celebrity

Views: 28,159

Keywords: little black dress, audrey hepburn, audrey hepburn charity, audrey hepburn dress, breakfast at tiffany’s, breakfast at tiffany’s dress, givenchy dress, truman capote, classic dress film, talko, fashion

Id: O0PMcZWER_A

Length: 15min 3sec (903 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 30 2020