Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy
Once in Paris...
Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy: An Unforgettable Trio
Audrey Hepburn was an utter legend; not only a screen legend but also a style legend. The reason why Audrey Hepburn is the biggest style icon to date is her effortless fashion sense mixed with polished and elegant style. Audrey Hepburn is as admired today as Coco Chanel, everyone is writing about her, quoting her and sharing her photos.
Many books have been written on her life and career, and it is considered that the best role of her career is that she starred as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady or as Princess Ann in Roman Vacation.
However, a delightful and fairly light-hearted film Sabrina starring Audrey Hepburn, produced in 1954, is an important milestone in the history of fashion.
Audrey Hepburn won the most prestigious film award, an Academy Award (popularly known as an Oscar) for Best Actress for her first film role in Roman Vacation. The Oscar award propelled her to stardom early in her career and she was headed for a promising acting career.
Her next film Sabrina was shot in 1954. She was nominated again for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, and she forged a lifelong friendship with Hubert de Givenchy during production. This film marked the first collaboration between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy. Their collaboration was not limited to film either, as the French designer was behind her most famous looks, both her most memorable film outfits and many of her personal ensembles. Hepburn became Givenchy’s most beloved muse and a source of inspiration to him.
The film Sabrina tells the story of the transformation of a lower-class girl in love. Sabrina is a chauffeur’s daughter who has been in love with her father’s handsome and womanising employer, David, for years. But her father, tired of the situation, sends her daughter to Paris for two years to make her forget the young man. Sabrina soaks up Parisian culture and blossoms into a sophisticated, elegant and chic young woman. When she returns home, everybody is stunned by her transformation. Edith Head, costume designer of the film, was Hollywood’s most influential designer at the time. She had already designed all her wardrobe and was thus shocked when Audrey Hepburn presented her own ideas about her look, insisting to wear ‘real Paris dresses’ designed by a French designer after her transformation in the film. Hepburn brushed the costume designer’s post-Paris outfits aside and went to Paris at her own expense to handpick the dresses she had in mind. It was an unexpected decision, but she had the producer, Billy Wilder’s complete support. Audrey Hepburn had won an Oscar for her performance in Roman Vacation, gained wide popularity in the US and suddenly become a renowned actress. Furthermore, her suggestion did not cost extra money, as she bore the full costs of her travel and the dresses.
She was advised by Billy Wilder’s wife to pick the fashion house Balenciaga headed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a top designer in the 1950s, in Paris. Audrey jumped at the suggestion, so she went to Paris to acquire authentic Paris couture dresses by Balenciaga for her role. However, since Balenciaga was already a well-known and popular couturier, too busy with his upcoming collection, and Audrey Hepburn was then a relatively unknown actress in France, he declined her request. Too busy making a collection, he sent the young actress to Hubert de Givenchy, his protégé and former apprentice, who had just opened his first haute couture salon.
Givenchy
Audrey thus rung up his atelier for an appointment. When she came into the studio, Givenchy was notified that a Miss Hepburn had arrived for him. He assumed that the actress in question was Kathrine Hepburn, at the time a far more famous film star (they shared the same last name but were not related) and was thrilled to meet her.
Givenchy was puzzled when a very slim actress with doe eyes showed up at his door. Being a polite man, he did not immediately say no but made it clear that he was also busy working on his new collection and had no time at all to create costumes for a Hollywood film. He did tell her, however, that she could look at the finished pieces from his collection, and encouraged her to try on anything that caught her eye, and, if needed, minor adjustments could be made to the selected dresses. Audrey Hepburn ended up buying three outfits from the racks, which amounted to the sum of $850.
All three looks were on the set of Sabrina, defining the atmosphere and style of the film.
One of her three costume choices was a two-piece skirt suit of grey wool with a collarless jacket. Edith Head—despite her disappointment—had instructed her on what items she should be choosing for the three scenes. She had made her promise that the colour she would choose was not to be dead black, as it did not work well on black and white film. Accordingly, the actress selected the dark grey travelling suit and added a turban-style hat, also created by Givenchy, for the suit.
Next came a ravishing evening gown, Sabrina’s entrance-making ball gown that wows the rich society guests. The evening dress was a soft, embroidered black-and-white gown crafted of a bodice over a slim skirt and overskirt, which made it a full evening dress.
I have scarcely any hesitation in saying that it is clear from the dress itself and how Audrey Hepburn wore it that the dresses designed by Givenchy fitted her perfectly and looked perfect on her, so it is also understandable why the actress became the couturier’s muse.
Fashion icon is born
The third outfit was a dark dress with bows at the shoulders and a below-the-knee skirt, which demonstrated her slender waist. An interesting thing about the dress is that it was specifically chosen by the actress because of its shoulder straps and bows as it hid her prominent collarbone. The dress would be so popular years after the release of the film that it would become known as ‘the Sabrina dress’.
Edith Head, as already mentioned, was a brilliant costume designer, but rumours circulating about her have questioned her fairness. She sent the sketches of many looks, including the afore-mentioned popular ‘Sabrina dress’, to major newspapers and magazines to promote the film. The sketches were signed by her (the sketches had been obviously prepared by her, but based on Givenchy sketches), making it seem as if she designed the gown.
Thus, it had been believed for almost forty years that ‘the Sabrina dress’ was Edith Head’s work. It was only years after Head’s death that Givenchy revealed that the dress had been his design, proving he was a perfect gentleman.
Another untoward story related to the film is also about Edith Head and Hubert de Givenchy. The film Sabrina was nominated for six Academy Awards, but won only one, for Best Costume Design received by Edith Head. She did not even mention Givenchy in her speech; not only did his name appear nowhere in the credits, but Head never acknowledged the French designer’s contribution to the film. Edith Head alone took credit for all the fabulous costumes in the film, and both Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy understandably resented his lack of proper credit on Sabrina. Imagine what a recognition of his obvious talent it would have been for the fledging Givenchy!
