The Style Diaries ~ Five Looks Inspired by Audrey Hepburn ♡

“She was an enchantress, inspiring love and beauty. And fairies never quite disappear altogether…” ~ Hubert du Givenchy about Audrey.

An irreplaceable icon who graced the silver screen, a gentle-spirit with a heart of gold, a devoted mother and a compassionate humanitarian worker, are just a few ways to describe the magical Miss Audrey Hepburn…

Whenever I try to explain how much this elegant spirit means to me, I often struggle because there are so many things I wish to say…

On Monday 4th of May, Audrey would have celebrated her 91st birthday. I always ponder over how our birthdays are exactly a week apart and because we are both Taurus’s (also my angel friend Freya too!) and its almost like we’re kindred spirits. On her special special day I shared a video dedicated to some of my favourite looks from Audrey’s iconic films.

Although I admire Audrey for her beautiful filmography, my true connection with her is found through her experience with adversity and giving back to those who are vulnerable. This part of Audrey resonates with me the most.

I was first introduced to Audrey at the age of eleven years old… I was rummaging through my parents DVD collection and stumbled across a boxset (which I still own today) featuring an angelic, elegant creature poised on the cover in a signature little black dress. I gazed at the titles adorning each DVD and out of each one, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, Funny Face, Paris When It Sizzles, it was Breakfast at Tiffany’s which stood out to me.

The title communicated something magical to me and as I gazed in awe at that infamous opening scene, where Miss Holly Golightly takes a sip of her morning coffee and bite of a danish pastry (which Audrey funnily enough disliked.) I instantly fell in love with Audrey and the elegance she embodies. I must have watched Tiffany’s over a hundred times (I know it by heart) and soon afterwards I watched the many myriad of classics Audrey starred in throughout the 50s and 60s. Her charm, grace and kind spirit spoke to me on an intimate level and so I began to collect books about her.

You can hear me speak about some of my favourite Audrey books in detail in this video.

The Audrey Hepburn Treasures ~ https://rstyle.me/+hR_tyuk4ZeSL450WZU… Audrey Hepburn: Bob Willoughby ~ https://rstyle.me/+7nMhYzgegnlOkRRnIK… What Would Audrey Do? ~ https://rstyle.me/+IsYzYuMzE4uBF-Xfzm… Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit ~ https://rstyle.me/+0dQoxuYcqpIGlUWYXM… Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of An Icon ~ https://rstyle.me/+yxyRCKiuG_8_0ZY0yf… Other books I recommend (not featured) Audrey: the 50s ~ https://rstyle.me/+DXGR_BHkXg9_L6Vdxp… Audrey Hepburn: the Paramount Years ~ https://rstyle.me/+8rpfESUYADSKYTpknc… 5th Avenue 5AM: Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s ~ https://rstyle.me/+13fgTu91KUbhTJDGsp…

Each look is inspired by Audrey’s iconic roles – it is not my intention to mimic or create costumes out of them – I want to add a touch of the films aesthetic and add my own style for a modern-day twist.

The Hepburn look is all about timeless and effortless elegance which is what I try to express with each ensemble. My look book is also not intended to encourage you to spend more money in order to replicate Audrey’s look ~ in this video I style pieces I already have in my collection.

Doing this can be more of a challenge and it’s also a fun way to spend an afternoon in self-isolation! You could even have your favourite Audrey film in the background whilst you play in your wardrobe.

In celebration of Audrey’s special day, I also thought it would be a sweet idea to make an Audrey movie check list and wallpapers for you to answer and dress up your phone with! Remember to share them on your Instagram stories and tag me…

A few years ago, I made the cake Audrey loved the most… chocolate cake! The recipe is taken from her son, Luca Dotti’s, recipe book ~ Audrey at Home – I shared this photo of the cake I made on Audrey’s birthday and her son actually liked my tweet! P.S if you would like to try out the recipe, I have still have it in the archives of my blog.

The sweetest soul is Miss Ariane Chevasse in Love in the Afternoon. Her outfits have a refined elegance which epitomise her characters nature.

The piece that I loved the most was the white midi-length flower dress with a boat-neck which Audrey wears. I went into my wardrobe and pulled out the Gal Meets Glam collection Mary dress because it reminded me of her the most. (similar dress) & I also love this pink floral ditsy maxi dress

If I could fill my entire wardrobe with the Gal Meets Glam collection, I would. I think their pieces harmonise with Audrey’s style perfectly and their Mary dress is one of my “go-to” spring dresses. The ‘Pretty Pearl’ cherry blossom print initially drew me towards this dress as the soft fluttering of budding blossoms is one of my favourite things about spring. The material has a pearly pink sheen which compliments my wardrobe wonderfully well. It goes in at the waist and floats outward like a prom dress from the 1950s. Any sweet summer tea-dress with a floral design would be perfect to replicate Ariane’s style – you can also add a satin ribbon for an elegant finish.

Although the signature little black dress from the iconic opening scene is one of my favourites, if I could own any of the outfits from the film, it would have to be the pretty fuschia pink ensemble worn by Holly.

The beautiful bow details are my favourite and I couldn’t resist recreating it in my own style.

The dress I selected was the Ted Baker pink bow-front dress because I thought it mirrored the original gown beautifully.

It is in a light pink which compliments my style beautifully.

Holly’s dress also has a matching coat so I decided to style the dress with my new coat from Kate Spade which I received for my 22nd birthday. The coat is made from a light pink tweed material and has a lovely black velvet bow for an added girly touch.

To complete the look I decided to add a golden tiara ~ although I couldn’t find one to match Holly’s pink one, I love this one from JJ’s House! They have the dreamiest accessories. I also love this tiara

Roman Holiday will always be my favourite film and Princess Ann is the Audrey character which I relate to most – especially her innocence and wonder.

There are so many dream outfits in the film but I decided to re-create the classic white blouse and skirt combo which Princess Ann wears on her first outing in Rome. This is so easy to re-create and I’m sure you can find many of the items in your wardrobe already! I styled a pussybow blouse with a white linen button-through skirt from Zara which I actually wore on my first trip to Rome four years go. Now all you need is a cute pink Vespa and your modern-day Gregory Peck – I have found a similar blouse and skirt.

“Oh Sabrina, Sabrina, where have you been all my life?”

Before the success of Tiffany’s, I think it was Sabrina (1954) which transformed Audrey into a cinematic icon. The famous story of a young Audrey showing up at Hubert du Givenchy’s altelier is practically legendary.

As Givenchy later recalled – Givenchy later recalled: “When the door of my studio opened, there stood a young woman, very slim, very tall, with doe eyes and short hair and wearing a pair of narrow pants, a little T-shirt, slippers and a gondolier’s hat with red ribbon that read ‘Venezia’. I told her: ‘Mademoiselle, I would love to help you, but I have very few sewers. I am in the middle of a collection – I can’t make you clothes.’ Audrey ended up selecting my favourite ensemble, the off-the-shoulder white gown with black embroidery which Sabrina wears to the Larabee ball. Nevertheless, it is still just a dream of mine to own a re-creation of this iconic gown but the dress I based my look on from the film was the black bow cocktail gown. However, black is not my signature colour so I decided to wear my pink Gal Meets Glam collection dress. The grosgrain bow shoulder detail reminded me of Sabrina’s gown and it made me feel so Parisian! I adore this vintage 50s inspired bow-shoulder dress from the pretty dress company.

The final look is inspired by Jo Stockton in Funny Face. The film tells the story of a bookshop assistant who transforms into a fashion model – everything about this film makes my heart happy and light; the dreamy score, setting in Paris, dance sequences and of course, the clothes!

The part I have taken inspiration from is the French church scene – Audrey realises her love for Fred Astaire’s character and she is clothed in the dreamiest Givenchy gown. Everything about this scene is magic as Audrey dances with Fred in her arms as swans glide by on the lake. I mean, what more could a girl dream of?

The dress I’m wearing was kindly gifted* to me from that is so vintage – I adore this online boutique because it features so many Princess-inspired pieces which would make any girls heart sing. You don’t necessarily need to wear a wedding gown to re-create this look! Instead I have found some of the prettiest white dresses for summer which have a modern femininity.

Two beautiful white summer dresses from River Island and Gal Meets Glam.

I hope this blog post has provided you with some helpful hints and tips on how to add a little Hepburn to your step. This is the first instalment of the style diaries series on my blog and I would love to see your suggestions on what you would like to see me re-create next. It could be a fictional character or a real-life actress – I’m thinking of doing one inspired by Grace Kelly next, please let me know what you think.

I’m sending lots of love to you all,

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