Saturday, February 25, 2023

Holly Golightly: Breaking Rules In A Little Black Dress : Npr

breakfast at tiffany's little black dress

The starlet opted for a strapless, knee-length, and ruched version of the classic. Princess Diana's off the shoulder, form fitting silk little black dress has been labeled "the revenge dress" as she wore it the same night Prince Charles aired his tell-all documentary about the couple's marriage and subsequent divorce. Although Diana didn't make a statement that night, her LBD spoke volumes.

Here, we've chronicled the closet staple from the 1920s to now, proving its timeless appeal. However, not only does the dress look great, it also plays an important role in establishing Holly Golightly’s character. She is eating breakfast but clearly wearing a sophisticated evening gown while not looking at all dishevelled. Immediately it is clear that while, yes, Golightly is a lady of the night, she is also elegant, refined and completely in control of her situation. She is not your typical shady call girl but a woman the film urges you to admire and warm to.

Audrey Hepburn Inspired Tulle Cocktail Dress Halloween Costume . Matching mommy and me dress (Child dress sold separately)

The frock was designed by none other than Hubert de Givenchy, who worked on Hepburn's entire wardrobe for the movie, together with costume designer Edith Head, a couturier whose aesthetics were all about sophistication and understated glamour. Kravitz as Catwoman, this year has given us endless pop culture inspired halloween costumes to pull from. Etsy is no longer supporting older versions of your web browser in order to ensure that user data remains secure. In a dual-toned look made from 18-carat gold-plated vermeil and sterling silver, this necklace can be unclipped to vary length or even separated to be worn as three separate bracelets. Regal as ever, the Duchess of Cambridge added a bit of glamour to her long-sleeved black dress with a crystal embellishment on her shoulder. Kerry Washington's black dress at the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards had a lot going on—and it was fabulous.

breakfast at tiffany's little black dress

She wore a white jersey figure-defining long dress with a plunging neckline and a large cutout at the back. The shimmering white material accentuated her copper tan and her irises appeared almost dark blue beneath her black lashes. The gown was accessorized with a bib necklace of hammered gold circles which lay over her décolletage; by intimating rather than exposing, the jewel enhanced the mystery, allowing a glimpse of the curvaceous hollow between her breasts.

Audrey Hepburn Poster Print | Breakfast at Tiffanys poster | "POP" Icon | 1950s 1960s Movies Wall Art | Custom Artwork Design

We admire the costumes we would wear and deride those that seem silly or outdated. Even in the case of a costume as famous as Holly Golightly's in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the costume is treated more for its iconic lines rather than its context. Givenchy and Hepburn first met in 1953 during the shooting of Billy Wilder’s Sabrina. They would maintain a professional and personal relationship until Hepburn’s death in 1993. Dressing her both onscreen and off, Givenchy described their mutual appreciation as “a kind of marriage” and has recently dedicated a book to her.

breakfast at tiffany's little black dress

No fashion season discussion is complete without discussion of the most essential little black dresses on the runway - reflecting on its classic status and its infinite variability. Unlike many of Givenchy and Hepburn previous collaboration’s, Holly’s little black dress is treated as a costume within the film - a kind of sartorial “fake it till you make it”. In one of the film’s most iconic moments, the titular breakfast at Tiffany’s, there is a hint that Holly’s deception has been unveiled. The black evening gown more suited to a cocktail club or a ball feels out of place in the morning sun, which hints at the layers of Holly’s lies to the world and to herself. Another look that serves to reveal key parts of Golightly’s personality, it is the scene in which she sings Moon River while wearing a simple pair of jeans and a sweatshirt that Hepburn believes tells you most about her character.

Vintage 60s Audrey Hepburn Black Dress with Pearls and Bow Breakfast at Tiffany's small

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a classic movie, which has become iconic in our culture, exuding chic sophistication. It’s the perfect theme to set a Breakfast at Tiffany’s brunch tablescape. Christy Turlington brought things back to the 1920s with her flapper-inspired black dress that she wore to an event in New York City. Kim Kardashian channels a vintage look in a detailed one shoulder black dress at the Jill Stuart fashion show. Gwyneth Paltrow took the little black dress to a whole new level at the Bounce premiere in 2000.

Of course, in its simplicity, it’s also a look that crops up time and time again in popular culture. It helped, of course, that Givenchy knew a canny marketing opportunity when he saw one and had been building a fruitful relationship with Hepburn since she borrowed a number of dresses for her turn in Sabrina in 1954. Their friendship, cemented by their stellar collaboration in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, would go on to last decades and provide a framework for modern celebrity endorsement deals. Perhaps if Truman Capote had been allowed to cast his first choice actress, Marilyn Monroe, things would have turned out quite differently.

Bet you didn’t know the history of one dress can get so complicated, but Givenchy and Hepburn delivered a piece of wardrobe that remains seared in our memory. The actual dresses used in the movie, created by Edith Head, were destroyed by Head and Hepburn at Western Costume in California after shooting. The original hand-stitched dress is currently in Givenchy’s private archive, whilst one copy Audrey took back to Paramount is on display at The Museum of Film in Madrid and another was auctioned at Christie’s in December 2006.

breakfast at tiffany's little black dress

The dress suggests Holly has been out the night before, hinting at her "wild" side. Despite a handful of iconic starlets having tried the diamond on for size, Beyonce and Jay-Z's shoot marks the first time the diamond was featured in a campaign. Whitehouse was the first to wear the gemstone after it was set in necklace form at the 1957 Tiffany Feather Ball in Rhode Island, and Hepburn later donned the gem in promotional images for Breakfast At Tiffany's. Each place setting includes a mini picture frame with the iconic picture of Holly Golightly in the movie to provide a reference to the theme.

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