Breakfast At Tiffany’s - 50th birthday

Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) is undoubtedly a polarised view of New York love and style… Less clear-cut than a modern update and yet, because of this ambiguity, all the more moving. Nearly fifty years on, Holly’s Givenchy fashions are still a talking point. Hubert de Givenchy was well known as being Audrey Hepburn’s favourite designer and she was his muse.

The outfits are distinctly Givenchy: satin, big hats and buttons. However,  Audrey Hepburn bestows distinctly “the touches”, like the tight wrapping and not fastening of her belts. Emphasising her tiny waist, she knew how to spotlight herself on film without altering character or narrative. Clothes are employed as a separate discourse for Holly, like during the party sequence when she wears a white silk wrap and then minutes later changes into a plain black evening gown with upswept hair, huge jewelled necklace and ludicrous cigarette holder, which informs her transformation from lucid and charming to a tipsy man-eater.

Recently designer outfits belonging to Audrey Hepburn went under the hammer in London raising £268,320 with half the proceeds going to charity. A considerable portion of the lots were either Givenchy; frocks, suits and accessories, or Rose Bertin, consisting of slacks, some cute mini-dresses and day wear.