Audrey Hepburn’s attraction by no means appears to dim, and a brand new biography concerning the late Oscar-winning actress is additional proof of that.
Tom Santopietro’s just-out “Audrey Hepburn: A Lifetime of Stunning Uncertainty” provides not often shared particulars, images and vignettes about her life and never simply throughout the Hollywood period. The waifish magnificence additionally was a World Conflict II resistance activist and unwavering UNICEF supporter. The Rowman & Littlefield tome additionally includes a good dose of style, because of the designer Jeffrey Banks.
Having recognized Hepburn as a buddy, Banks stated he had by no means wished to jot down a guide concerning the extremely personal actress. However after being approached by Santopietro to serve up some style insights for the brand new biography and helped select related images, he agreed to it. There are 70 images together with excessive style ones with captions by Banks. New York-based designer first met Hepburn in Might 1982, when the Style institute of Know-how hosted a dinner dance in honor of Hubert de Givenchy’s thirtieth yr in enterprise. Having worn Givenchy ensembles for such movies as “Sabrina,” “Humorous Face,” “Love within the Afternoon,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Charade” and “Love Amongst Thieves,” the actress was stated to be such a devotee that she had favored his perfume too.
Banks’ first encounter with Hepburn on the black tie affair in New York Metropolis was not by probability. Months upfront, Banks — who was on FIT’s board of trustees at the moment — purchased the desk that was proper subsequent to the pinnacle one the place Hepburn was to be seated. His strategic strategy included rounding up a bunch of well-dressed company and stashing a bouquet of purple roses beneath the desk. “One would name it a ‘bouquet,’ but it surely was extra like a small bush of roses,” Banks stated on Monday in an interview, including that the Givenchy government, who oversaw its North American division at the moment, launched him to the actress — with roses in hand.
As for the Hepburn and Givenchy connection, Banks recalled how the actress had recommended to director Billy Wilder that she journey to Paris to decide on a wardrobe for “Sabrina,” because the “Sabrina Fairchild” character, the daughter of a chauffeur, that she was portraying had hung out there. Having heard that Givenchy was an up-and-coming couturiere, she organized to pay him a go to in Paris. The designer presumed that “Miss Hepburn” could be the extra established actress Katharine Hepburn, however was “enchanted” simply the identical, Banks stated.
The quilt of the brand new Audrey Hepburn biography.
Photograph Courtesy
For Santopietro’s guide, the plan was to decide on a signature search for every chapter. Banks famous how Hepburn wore a number of Givenchy designs in her breakout function within the 1954 movie “Sabrina,” together with the strapless white silk organza robe that she was photographed in that’s on the guide’s cowl. (Ivanka Trump was so enamored with the design that she wore a high fashion duplicate of the Givenchy gown to the presidential inaugural balls in January.)
Banks additionally recalled how Hepburn had invited Givenchy to the movie’s premiere, however as they sat at the hours of darkness watching the credit roll, solely Paramount Footage’ costume designer Edith Head was credited. “Mortified,” Hepburn then made it level to have it written into her contract that Givenchy could be credited with any future work, stated Banks, who added that Head additionally had gained an Oscar for costume design for “Sabrina.”
Noting how “Humorous Face” is a favourite with the style crowd together with himself, Banks stated, “It has every little thing — Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, [George] Gershwin music, Paris, [the lead male character’s inspiration Richard] Avedon and Givenchy.” Hepburn as soon as defined that Givenchy’s garments have been like “armour,” and made her really feel that she might do something on the display screen, in keeping with Banks.
Nicely conscious of how Hepburn stays a method setter greater than 32 years after her dying, Banks cited how she ushered in such lasting classics because the little black gown, ballet flats and pearls. All of these items are within the style lexicon as a result of Audrey wore them first, Banks stated. “And ladies have by no means stopped carrying them.”
Santopietro stated that Hepburn’s self-deprecation was real. “She didn’t assume she was notably enticing, and he or she actually made gentle of her extraordinary appearing skills. She was like, ‘Oh properly, I’m not skilled. I’m not very stunning.’ To an extent, that was what she felt as a toddler,” he stated.
What’s extra essential, the creator stated, was that her fame was solely of curiosity to her, if it was used on behalf of UNICEF. By her personal account she was not interested by being a glamorous movie star, Santopietro stated, “What I found was that on the finish of her life, she, and Elizabeth Taylor, individually, used the very same phrase, which was, ‘Ultimately, my fame is sensible to me.’ Elizabeth stated it about her AIDS activism and Audrey stated it about UNICEF.”
