Just imagine a singular woman fitted in a perfect little black dress, elegant jewelry, and a simple color palette: that’s Audrey Hepburn. A breathless icon from the 50s, Audrey Hepburn stays immortal in our minds. One of the world’s most successful actresses, she’s a timeless fashion star of memorable movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Roman Holiday. 

Born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, early on she demonstrated not only style and irreverence, but also emotional strength. Her childhood wasn’t easy.  Among studies in Arnhem Conservatory in The Netherlands, Hepburn and her mother struggled to survive the Nazis.

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It would be at age 22 that she would initiate her career as an actress. Her first play was in Gigi’s skin, a young 19th century Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan.

But she always fought for success so, two years after, she stormed the acting world, starring in the top place she could wish for: Broadway, oh Broadway, in the film Roman Holiday (1953) with Gregory Peck.

Her most successful movie was Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), where Hepburn played Holly Golightly. Based on a novella by Truman Capote, she starred as a troubled New York City party girl who gets involved with a struggling writer played by George Peppard. Her style as an emancipated woman was fundamental in setting new fashion standards.

The famous actress and activist had a classic style throughout her life, achieving an effortless elegance.  Her personal life was full of changes: she married Mel Ferrer on 25 September 1954 in Switzerland with whom she shared 15 years of alleged true love. She had a passionate secret affair with William Holden, during the set of ‘Sabrina’, in the same year she married Ferrer, though she married later.  Audrey and William were soon inseparable meeting secretly in his dressing room, at picnics, and private dinners.

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But there was a problem with William: he had a vasectomy and he couldn’t give children to Audrey, so she broke off their romance.  In 1968, six weeks after divorcing Ferrer she married the aristocratic Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti. Later, in 1979, she had another affair, this time with her co-star Ben Gazzara. Her last affair would be with the actor Robert Wolders.

Design Inspirations

Be inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s 50s style. We selected classic design pieces based on Audrey’s look that you would love to own in your home.

Exotica by KOKET

Kartell Super Impossible 5841

Sinatra floor lamp by Delightfull

Koi center table by BRABBU

Caboche Media pendant by Foscarini

Fortuna dining table by Boca do Lobo

When it comes to awards, she really got them (almost) all: she won an Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award. Not only a Hollywood star or a fashion icon, she became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in the late 1980s, defying the ones that only saw her as a feminine fashion symbol.

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