From À LA MODEST
“I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls.”
“The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.”
“There’s more to sex appeal than just measurements. I don’t need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much sex appeal, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain.”
Such as Audrey Hepburn’s beautiful personality and talent, for instance. The quote above kind of reminds me of Ashton Kutcher’s “sexy” speech at the teen choice awards, where he says the the sexiest thing is a person’s brain.
“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.”
Make no mistake about it: Audrey Hepburn was a remarkable woman. Not only was she one of the best actresses ever to have graced the silver screen, but she was also a good hearted humanitarian and – according to those who knew her – a lady who lived life to the full. What’s more, she always looked really good while doing it all!
Very few have managed to live up to Audrey Hepburn’s status as the ultimate style icon, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great lessons we can all learn and easily put into practice.
THE RIGHT FIT
(and length for your body type)
While Audrey Hepburn wasn’t especially tall, it often surprises people to learn that – at 5’7” – she was a good two or three inches above national average. The perception of her being a dainty girl was, in part, enforced by her being repeatedly cast alongside male leads with domineering statures. Obviously, we can’t all enhance our feminine physiques by appearing alongside, but thankfully there is another principle at play here.
It all comes down to the FIT of the outfit. No matter whether it was a cocktail dress or a simple blouse, you’d be hard-pressed to find an image of Hepburn wearing an outfit that hung off her like a sack… not to say that you can’t look good in an oversized modest top like in a previous outfit post where I wore a large sweater. Of course you can! ;-)
Audrey wore a lot of solid colored high neck tops (not necessarily turtle necks) and below the knee skirts and crop pants. Below, you’ll find modern day pieces tailored especially for taller women like her. There are tons of specialty stores for plus sizes and petites but not so much for tall figures. This store I found called Long Elengant Legs is specialty store for women with exactly that!
NOT A WAIST OF TIME
Audrey also had an incredibly small waist size of 20 inches, which you can achieve through a corset over time. However, if you’re not the type who will put comfort aside for style, you can cheat with high waist bottoms with waist cinchers!
LIKE DIAMONDS IN THE SKY
Audrey wore large chunky diamond earrings as seen above and also from her classic look from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The chunky diamond cluster looked kind of like these modern but classic looking diamond earrings. To add class to a regular gingham outfit from the above left photo, she wore diamond hoop earrings. Not everyone can afford or want to spend money on real diamonds, regardless of being them conflict free. This is where cubic zirconia, a fine and cheap alternative to diamonds, comes in.
Audrey Hepburn’s face was most characterized by her strikingly thick and shapely eyebrows, which can be achieved with a good pair of tweezers and a bit of eyebrow makeup magic. Her hair was usually in a neat updo with some baby “Bettie bangs,” which not everybody can pull off. Audrey’s best beauty advice however is…
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
