Famous Dresses #2 - Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy

The partnership between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert Givenchy first began in 1953 when they met whilst Hepburn was filming Sabrina; they got on so well that Givenchy designed numerous outfits for Hepburn to wear both on and off the screen.


Breakfast at Tiffany's Little Black Dress 
Even if you haven't seen the film, you probably recognise this dress. Featured in the 1961 rom-com 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', Givenchy's created from italian satin the original LBD. Given that in the film, the dress is longer than every little black dress I've ever seen, I was quite confused as to why such a term was attributed to this dress. As it turns out, although Givenchy intended for the dress to show of Hepburn's legs, Paramount deemed the length inappropriate. As such, the dress was then handed over to Edith Head (long-time designer for Paramount) for alteration.

Interestingly enough, whilst Audrey Hepburn is the epitome of someone who can look elegant in literally anything (there is a scene in BAT where she is actually wearing a bed sheet - see below), the famous LBD was stuffed with horsehair and had lead weights to ensure that the dress hung just so.

Tall and skinny, with almost no curves at all in comparison to other Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, Hepburn's slim and sophisticated style was a landmark in fashion history.