Alongside together with her enduring legacies in movie and magnificence, Audrey Hepburn’s marriage ceremony attire proceed to affect sartorial views and particular person expression. Her cultural affect may also be traced to her on- and off-screen bridal fashion, most famously to the designs she wore over a 40-year friendship and collaboration with Hubert de Givenchy. On the forefront and creation of eternal style traits, Hepburn even impressed the modern bridal style world to embrace the black-and-white marriage ceremony gown after she debuted a strapless embroidered organza Givenchy robe throughout a shocking get together scene in 1954’s sabrina.
“She is what folks imply once they say they need to look ‘basic and timeless,’ or ‘elegant however no fuss,’” says Lily Kaizer, proprietor of luxurious classic marriage ceremony gown salon Glad Isles.
The “Fortunate” (Nearly) Wedding ceremony Gown
Whereas filming 1953’s Roman Vacation, Hepburn was engaged to English industrialist James Hanson. So she commissioned the Fontana sisters, who additionally collaborated with Edith Head on Hepburn’s costumes within the movie, to design her marriage ceremony gown.
Elegant and pared-down, Hepburn’s first marriage ceremony gown provided a glimpse right into a style icon’s definitive perspective: demure boatneck, lengthy sleeves, and a playful high-low hemline. In the end, she known as off the nuptials and requested the sisters to donate the design. “[I want the dress] to be worn by one other woman for her marriage ceremony, maybe somebody who could not ever afford a gown like mine—essentially the most lovely, poor Italian woman you will discover,” the longer term UNICEF ambassador reportedly stated.
Audrey Hepburn’s first marriage ceremony gown from the 2009 public sale.By Tony Trasmundi/Courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions.
The couturiers discovered a recipient, Amiable Altobella, and invited her to their Rome atelier for alterations. “The entire expertise should have been unbelievable for [Altobella and her fiancé],” says kerry taylor, founding father of London-based Kerry Taylor Auctionsof the couple’s go to from the town of Latina.
“They’d three daughters and 5 grandchildren. Amiable stated, ‘I’ve had a cheerful marriage, so the gown introduced me luck’ and that was very a lot the sensation when the gown was handed over,” says Taylor, who auctioned the gown in 2009 for $23,000. “The entire household felt such pleasure at having had one thing so particular and so distinctive.”
The Balmain Wedding ceremony Gown
After a whirlwind romance, Hepburn married American actor Mel Ferrer on September 25, 1954 in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
25th September 1954: Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer on their marriage ceremony day. Gown designed by Balmain. By Ernst Haas/Getty Photographs.
