Audrey Hepburn’s enchantment by no means appears to dim, and a brand new biography in regards to the late Oscar-winning actress is additional proof of that.
Tom Santopietro’s just-out “Audrey Hepburn: A Lifetime of Lovely Uncertainty” gives hardly ever shared particulars, images and vignettes about her life and never simply through 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, due to the designer Jeffrey Banks.
Having recognized Hepburn as a good friend, Banks mentioned he had by no means wished to jot down a guide in regards to the extremely non-public 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 Could 1982, when the Trend institute of Expertise hosted a dinner dance in honor of Hubert de Givenchy’s thirtieth 12 months 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 mentioned 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 likelihood. Months upfront, Banks — who was on FIT’s board of trustees at the moment — purchased the desk that was proper subsequent to the top one the place Hepburn was to be seated. His strategic method included rounding up a bunch of well-dressed friends and stashing a bouquet of purple roses underneath the desk. “One would name it a ‘bouquet,’ however it was extra like a small bush of roses,” Banks mentioned on Monday in an interview, including that the Givenchy govt, 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 steered to director Billy Wilder that she journey to Paris to decide on a wardrobe for “Sabrina,” for the reason that “Sabrina Fairchild” character, the daughter of a chauffeur, that she was portraying had frolicked 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 mentioned.
The duvet 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 just a few 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 reproduction 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 midnight 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, mentioned 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 mentioned, “It has all the things — 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 had been like “armour,” and made her really feel that she may do something on the display, in response to Banks.
Properly conscious of how Hepburn stays a method setter greater than 32 years after her demise, 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 mentioned. “And ladies have by no means stopped carrying them.”
Santopietro mentioned that Hepburn’s self-deprecation was real. “She didn’t assume she was notably enticing, and she or he actually made gentle of her extraordinary performing skills. She was like, ‘Oh properly, I’m not educated. I’m not very lovely.’ To an extent, that was what she felt as a baby,” he mentioned.
What’s extra essential, the writer mentioned, 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 fascinated about being a glamorous movie star, Santopietro mentioned, “What I found was that on the finish of her life, she, and Elizabeth Taylor, individually, used the very same phrase, which was, ‘Eventually, my fame is sensible to me.’ Elizabeth mentioned it about her AIDS activism and Audrey mentioned it about UNICEF.”
