Designer | Hubert de Givenchy |
---|---|
Year | 1961 |
Type | Sheath little black dress |
Material | Italian satin |
Audrey Hepburn wore a "little black dress" in the 1961 romantic comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany's . The garment was originally designed by Hubert de Givenchy, with three existing copies preserved to date. A studio copy of this dress was worn during the opening scene of the film, while another during a social party held at the apartment of the main protagonist.
The dress has been described as one of the most iconic clothing items of the twentieth century. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Audrey Hepburn was a close friend of French designer Givenchy, referring to the designer as her "best friend" while he considered her his "sister". [5] [6]
In 1961, Givenchy designed a little black dress for the opening scene of Blake Edwards' romantic comedy, Breakfast at Tiffany's, in which Hepburn starred alongside actor George Peppard. Her necklace was made by Roger Scemama, a French jeweler and parure-maker who designed jewelry for Givenchy. [7] Hepburn took two copies of the dress back to Paramount, but the dresses, which revealed a considerable amount of Hepburn's leg, were not suitable for the movie, and the lower half of the dress was redesigned by Edith Head.
Accordingly, none of the actual dresses created by Givenchy were used in either the actual movie or the promotional press photography.[ citation needed ] The movie poster was designed by artist Robert McGinnis, and in Sam Wasson's book, Fifth Avenue, 5am, he explains that the photos on which he based the poster did not show any leg and that he had added the leg to make the poster more appealing.
The actual dresses used in the movie, created by Edith Head, its whereabouts today are still unknown, though were probably destroyed by Head and Hepburn at Western Costume in California after the film shooting.[ citation needed ]
In November 2006, actress Natalie Portman appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, wearing one of the original Givenchy dresses created for Breakfast at Tiffany's. [9] On 5 December 2006, this dress was auctioned at Christie's in London and purchased by an anonymous buyer by telephone. The sale price was estimated by the auction house to have ended somewhere between £50,000 and £70,000, but the final price was £467,200 ($923,187). [2] [9] The money raised in the auction of the black dress went toward helping build a school for the poor people of Calcutta. Givenchy, the designer of the dress, had donated the dress to Dominique Lapierre, the author of the book City of Joy , and his wife to help raise funds for the charity. When they witnessed such a frenzied auction, the amount that was raised so astonished Lapierre that he observed:
"I am absolutely dumbfounded to believe that a piece of cloth which belonged to such a magical actress will now enable me to buy bricks and cement to put the most destitute children in the world into schools." [2]
Sarah Hodgson, a film specialist at Christie's said, "This is one of the most famous black dresses in the world—an iconic piece of cinematic history—and we are glad it fetched a historic price." [2]
The model is a Givenchy black Italian satin sheath evening gown. Christie's describes it as "a sleeveless, floor-length gown with fitted bodice embellished at the back with distinctive cut-out décolleté, the skirt slightly gathered at the waist and slit to the thigh on one side, labelled inside on the waistband Givenchy; accompanied by a pair of black elbow-length gloves". [9] The bodice is slightly open at the back with a neckline that leaves uncovered shoulders. In the film, Audrey Hepburn wears a matching pair of elbow-length gloves the same colour and strings of pearls. The look has been described as "ultra-feminine" and "Parisian". [10]
The little black dress attained such iconic fame and status that it became an integral part of a woman's wardrobe. Givenchy not only chose the dress for the character in the film, but also added the right accessories to match the long gown in the form of a pearl choker of many strands, a foot long cigarette holder, a large black hat and opera gloves which not only "visually defined the character but indelibly linked Audrey with her". [11]
Given her physical assets, she, along with her designer friend Givenchy, created a dress to fit her role in the film of a waif. A well chosen black silk dress with appropriate accessories hit the bull's eye to bring her effervescent personality to the fore; the dark oversized sunglasses completed the ensemble of the little black dress (LBD) which was called "the definitive LBD". The dress, which outlined her lean shoulder blades, thus became the Hepburn style. [12]
The dress is cited as one of the most iconic of the 20th century and film history. [2] It has been described as "perhaps the most famous little black dress of all time" and exerting a major influence on fashion itself by directly making it popular. [4] [13]
In a survey conducted in 2010 by LOVEFiLM, Hepburn's little black dress was chosen as the best dress ever worn by a woman in a film. [3] In this respect, Helen Cowley, publisher of LOVEFiLM, declared: "Audrey Hepburn has truly made that little black dress a fashion staple which has stood the test of time despite competition from some of the most stylish females around." [3] Hepburn's white dress and hat worn in My Fair Lady was voted sixth.
Hepburn's little black dress (LBD) has been copied and parodied numerous times in other works worldwide, such as Natalie Portman in a 2006 Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot and Lee Ji-eun in Hotel del Luna . [14] [15]
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards from a screenplay by George Axelrod and based on the 1958 novella of the same name by Truman Capote. It stars Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney. In the film, Holly Golightly (Hepburn), a naïve, eccentric socialite meets Paul Varjak (Peppard), a struggling writer who moves into her apartment building.
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn was a British actress. Hepburn had a successful career in Hollywood and was recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List.
Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.
The little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel. It is intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, and widely accessible. Its ubiquity is such that it is often simply referred to as the "LBD".
Givenchy is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter. It is currently owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH.
A cigarette holder is a fashion accessory, a slender tube in which a cigarette is held for smoking. Most frequently made of silver, jade or bakelite, cigarette holders were considered an essential part of ladies' fashion from the early 1910s through early to the mid 1970s.
An eponymous hairstyle is a particular hairstyle that has become fashionable during a certain period of time through its association with a prominent individual.
Film memorabilia are objects considered of value because of their connection to the cinema. These include costumes, props, advertising posters, and scripts, among other things. Fans have always coveted memorabilia, but in recent years, what was once a hobby has mushroomed into big business, with millions of dollars changing hands in auctions held by such firms as Christie's and Sotheby's. In addition, many popular films have their collectible items sold via independent, online movie memorabilia stores, web auctions, and at film studio charity events.
In fashion, a sheath dress is a fitted, straight cut dress, often nipped at the waistline with no waist seam. When constructing the dress, the bodice and skirt are joined together by combining the skirt darts into one dart: this aligns the skirt darts with the bodice waist dart. The dress emphasizes the waist as its skirt portion is fitted. While the sheath dress can come in many patterns and lengths, it often is worn with short sleeves and reaches knee length.
Audrey Hepburn wore a white floral Givenchy dress to the Academy Awards in 1954. The dress is now regarded as one of the classic dresses of the 20th century.
Marilyn Monroe wore a white dress in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch, directed by Billy Wilder. It was created by costume designer William Travilla and worn in the movie's best-known scene. The image of it and her above a windy subway grating has been described as one of the most iconic images of the 20th century.
In the 1946 film Gilda, Rita Hayworth wore a black dress made by American costume designer Jean Louis. It was used in a scene in which the character of Gilda sings the song "Put the Blame on Mame", improvising a quick striptease, choreographed by Jack Cole. The dress has helped consolidate the image of the femme fatale, as well as being universally recognized as an icon of fashion and cinema. The Independent named it as one of the Ten Best Fashion Moments in Film.
Marilyn Monroe wore a shocking pink dress in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, directed by Howard Hawks. The dress was created by costume designer William "Billy" Travilla and was used in one of the most famous scenes of the film, which subsequently became the subject of numerous imitations, significantly from Madonna in the music video for her 1985 song "Material Girl".
Roger Scemama (1898–1989) was a French jeweler. Born in Tunis to a wealthy Florentine family, Scemama moved to Paris in 1922 where he began parure-making. Scemama worked for the most famous French haute couture houses and resurrected the use of crystal in fashion in the 1950s. To complement the black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn, Scemama was asked to design her necklace. Scemama designed jewelry for Jacques Fath, Balmain, Schiaparelli, Lanvin, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Some of his jewelry creations for Yves Saint Laurent can be found in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and others at the Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
The wedding dress worn by Meghan Markle at her wedding to Prince Harry on 19 May 2018 was designed by the British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy. The bride's veil was embroidered with flowers representing the countries of the Commonwealth; the California poppy, in honour of Markle's home state of California; and wintersweet, a flower that grows at Kensington Palace.
A fashion icon or fashion leader is a influential person who introduces new styles which spread throughout fashion culture and become part of fashion. They initiate a new style which others may follow. They may be famous personalities such as political leaders, celebrities, or sports personalities. For example, during the 1960s, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a great fashion icon for American women, and her style became a sign of wealth, power, and distinction; and her famous Pink Chanel suit is one of the most referenced and revisited of all of her items of clothing. Twiggy was an It girl, she was a teenaged model and fashion icon of Swinging Sixties.
Keira Knightley wore a green dress in the 2007 romantic war drama film Atonement. The garment was created by costume designer Jacqueline Durran with director Joe Wright, and is worn during the film's climactic scene. The dress, combining period and modern elements, was praised by media publications upon Atonement's release, and is regarded as a standout in film fashion.
Julia Roberts wore a red dress in the 1990 romantic comedy film Pretty Woman. The ensemble was created by costume designer Marilyn Vance, and is worn during a "transformative" scene in the film where Roberts' character accompanies her love interest to a night at the opera. Thirty years after the film's release, Vogue Paris called the off-the-shoulder evening gown as “iconic”, and said that it helped make the romantic comedy "legendary".
The fashion of actress Audrey Hepburn, both on and off-screen, has impacted trends and pop culture, and she is considered a style icon.
...perhaps the most famous of all little black dresses was Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy in Breakfast at Tiffany's.