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.

Famous Dresses #1 - Marilyn Monroe in Travilla

One of my favourite films of all time is 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and, as with all the outfits worn by the big Hollywood stars, Marilyn's are stunning. So I thought I'd do a series of posts about famous dresses and who better to start it off then Marilyn Monroe?

The Pink Dress
This shockingly pink dress was worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. It was designed by Hollywood costume designed William Travilla who also created outfits for Monroe in her films 'The Seven Year Itch' and 'How to Marry a Millionaire'.

Originally, Travilla was supposed to make an extravagant showgirl outfit for Monroe but it had emerged that she had posed nude for a calendar in 1949 when she was strapped for money. In response, the studio requested that she wear something less revealing.

As a result, Travilla produced the famed pink dress which was made from a type of silk satin which was then glued onto felt. A black lining was added to the back of the dress to give it a stiffness.






The Gold Dress
Trevilla also produced a variety of other outfits for GPB, including this slinky gold halter-neck. In the film, Monroe is only shown dancing in it from the rear for a few moments; the plunging neckline was deemed inappropriate by the censors at the time.

Made from one single piece of gold lamé-like material, Monroe was actually sewn into it.









The White Dress
This is probably one of the most famous dresses in the world. This white cocktail dress, worn by Monroe in 'The Seven Year Itch', gained recognition for its appearance in the film's most memorable scene: Marilyn Monroe walking over a subway grating and the wind blowing her dress up.

The dress was locked away by Trevilla after Monroe's death and eventually bought by Debbie Reynolds (of 'Singing in the Rain' fame) as part of a personal collection of Hollywood memorabilia.

In June 2011, the dress went on auction for an estimated price of $1-2million, however it actually sold for $5.6million!





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which one is your favourite ? 

x x