When asked who my idols are, I will always mention Audrey Hepburn. She will forever be a role model not only in entertainment, but in fashion and advocacy too.
Audrey Hepburn was a Belgian-English actress and fashion icon, former ballerina, and Nazi resistor. Born Audrey Kathleen Ruston to a British father and Dutch baroness mother, Hepburn moved to the Netherlands at 10-years-old with the intent of escaping Nazi occupation.
My favorite actress actually began her career as a dancer, and not simply in “A Chorus Line.” Audrey enrolled in a dance school. Though her family was privileged, the Nazis diverted food and resources away from the Netherlands, resulting in her family often going hungry
When Hepburn turned 15, she was ordered to join the Nazi Kulturkammer, the artists’ union, or give up publicly performing dance. Instead, she danced in a safe house with closed blinds and only a candle for light, so she would not be discovered. At the end of the show, money was collected for anti-Nazi resistance groups.
Though she was talented, prolonged malnutrition caused her to lack the stamina to maintain ballerina roles. Instead, she turned to acting, with small roles in West End theatre and films like The Lavender Hill Mob.
Hepburn went on to win her Oscar award for the 1953 film “Roman Holiday,” after co-star Gregory Peck championed for equal billing and Hepburn’s career. Gregory Peck is another favorite actor of the era, and I enjoy him not just for his close relationship with Hepburn, but his feminism and classy demeanor.
Hepburn would continue to grow in popularity, and is best known for “Sabrina,” “Funny Face,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Charade” and “My Fair Lady.” She’s arguably best known for playing Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” based on the novella by Truman Capote. Golightly was my fifth grade Halloween costume, so I’m clearly qualified to talk about the film.
While the film holds personal value for me, “Sabrina” also marked the beginning of Hepburn’s long-lasting partnership with the luxury French fashion house Givenchy. The three arguably most recognizable outfits from the film were all Givenchy’s work, who was at the time a young mentee of Balenciaga. However, the jewel of this collection is a white organdy embroidered ball gown for Sabrina’s “Cinderella” moment in the film.
Additionally, while Coco Chanel is credited with coining the “little black dress” in 1926, Hepburn’s costuming by Givenchy in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” helped popularize the garment in the 1950s and 1960s.
Hepburn’s fashion legacy also includes her personal style.
Hepburn is known for championing an elegant, monochromatic and minimalist style, focusing on ordinary, androgynous garments like tailored white shirts, turtlenecks and slim cigarette pants. She was also known for accenting her waist with belts. I’d like to believe I’m known amongst my peers for channeling her ethos in my professional wardrobe.
While her style remains iconic decades later, fashion was also a source of companionship for her, with Hubert de Givenchy fulfilling the role of creative collaborator and friend.
Hepburn was not only recognized for her style, but also her talent. The American Film Institute ranked Hepburn as third out of 25 women on their list of the 50 greatest screen legends. She is also one of only 22 people — and only six women — to achieve EGOT status. Hepburn was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush.
But fashion and entertainment were not Hepburn’s only passions. After narrating two radio programs for UNICEF in the 1950s, Hepburn was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1989. She notably raised awareness and funds for vaccination programs, clean water projects and education initiatives.
Actress Lily Collins is set to play Audrey Hepburn in an upcoming film on the making of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” based on Sam Wasson’s bestselling book “Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the Modern Woman,” the first ever complete account of the making of the film. You will absolutely see me in the theater, likely multiple times, with my popcorn and a blanket.
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life. To be happy. It’s all that matters,” Hepburn once said. If one is to follow her example, then a life of fashion, elegance, creativity, advocacy and kindness is a life to be enjoyed.