Natalie Does It Right

Harper's Bazaar - November 2006And speaking of party frocks…what do we think of Natalie Portman wearing the Breakfast at Tiffany’s dress on the cover of November’s Harper’s Bazaar? Apparently even the teensy Natalie Portman was concerned about fitting into Audrey’s gown. “Everyone kept telling me how small it was…I’m small, but it’s not like I’m see-through.” I am pleased to say that in a world of Audrey Hepburn wanna-bes (and haven’t we all be one of those at one time or another?) Ms. Portman definitely does the dress justice.

Hubert de Givenchy even said that this dress “was the perfect dress for her,” and three versions were made for filming. One is currently in the Museum of Costume in Madrid, while this one from the Givenchy archives is going to be sold for the noble purpose of aid to India. The black satin dress from 1961 is being auctioned on December 5^th at Christie’s London for the City of Joy Aid charity. This organization has been assisting impoverished communities in India for the past 25 years. The dress is expected to receive between £50,000.00 - £70,000.00.

Cover Photo from the Breakfast at Tiffany's Soundtrack - 1961During my childhood, I frequently found myself sorting through my parents’ records, and always paused at the cover of the Breakfast of Tiffany’s soundtrack. Who is this woman so confident and relaxed in her own fabulousness? What’s with that really long cigarette? Do people really eat off of gold plates? That was the beginning. It was not until high school that I actually saw the film, and this very black satin dress became the still-point of the moving world for me. And I’m not the only one.

We have all heard a million things about Audrey Hepburn’s style and iconic sartorial statements. Her gamine posture, her balletic grace, her ladylike delicacy… (Can we please come up with something new to say?) Audrey Hepburn was fun. Now that I’ve grown up, I find I prefer the times when her look was the antithesis of all this “simplicity” and possibly made a mistake or two. Her goofy, mod-ish styles from How to Steal a Million endear me more than the New York elegance of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Even in that film, I think I was more in love with the pink-sparkle party dress than the black gown, and in that look, I think I was more fascinated by the endless pearl necklace and gigantic rhinestone brooch nestled in Audrey Hepburn’s beehive. (From then on, I was all about pearls and bling.) Also, being a coat-lover, the orange coat with mink bucket hat ensemble is probably my most favorite in the entire film. The single shot of the orange coat with the orange “Don’t Walk” sign is celluloid beauty – and then when seen from the back, the coat’s relaxed belt and gathers showcase Givenchy’s genius in one garment. In fact, when considering the film as a whole, and the character of Holly Golightly in particular, Holly’s style is the most odd-ball. We all forget the bed-sheet wrap at the cocktail party, the weird eye shades, the black alligator shoes stuck in the flower arrangement – not to mention the slippers in the refrigerator. And what’s with the bathtub cut in half? This kookiness is always overlooked when exploring “Audrey style” and it should not be: Holly would not have been so unforgettable if Audrey Hepburn had not contributed so much of her own footloose whimsy to the character.

For me, a serious black dress is only part of the story.