Yahoo LifestyleFilm fashion moment: Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the little black dress
Fifty years ago Audrey Hepburn captivated audiences as Holly Golightly in one of the most stylish films in Hollywood history.
Who could forget the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s where Holly exits a taxi outside the Tiffany & Co. Store, peers through the window at the glistening jewels and tucks into her croissant and coffee breakfast?
Then she shimmied down New York City’s 5th Avenue dressed in a chic black full-length gown complete with black gloves, supersized black sunglasses, a pearl necklace and a tiny tiara perched atop of her blonde-streaked beehive.
And just like that, Audrey Hepburn, the style icon was born.
If you were wondering what kind of impact this scene had on fashion, the evidence is probably in your wardrobe. Givenchy’s gown, worn by Hepburn in the film, is an iconic costume piece that helped to make the little black dress an essential item in every woman’s closet.
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Fashion director Clare Coulson of Harper’s Bazaar believes, ‘The simplest - and sometimes even cheapest - LBD will make you look classic, chic and elegant.’
It’s the perfect piece of clothing to suit all shapes and sizes.
The dresses worn by Hepburn popularised a new silhouette for the modern woman that was a direct contrast to the look at the time.
Stiff constructed dresses, clinched in at the waist to compliment the likes of Marilyn Monroe, were sidelined by Hollywood’s leading ladies for simple shift dresses just like the ones Hepburn wore in the film.
Half a century after the film has been released, Holly Golightly’s elegant style is still being referenced.
Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker and Penelope Cruz have at some point given themselves a Breakfast at Tiffany’s makeover. This iconic look has influenced style from inside the pages of Vogue to the red carpet.
[Gallery: Celebrities who channel Audrey Hepburn's style]
Givenchy’s black gown worn in the film was sold in an auction at Christies for £467,200 in 2006 and the outfit made famous by Ms. Hepburn was voted as the top movie outfit by film fans in a 2010 survey by LoveFilm.
Blake Edward’s 1961 romantic comedy is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a sparkling new print of Breakfast at Tiffany’s on blu-ray available from the 12th September 2011.
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