Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress goes up for auction next week. No other garment has had quite such a lasting impact, says Clare Coulson
Next week Christie’s will auction the iconic little black dress that Audrey Hepburn wore in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
That simple but instantly recognisable black gown, designed by Hubert de Givenchy, is expected to fetch about £70,000. It is a modest prediction for what is, arguably, the most copied piece of clothing in film history.
When Hepburn appeared in that LBD at the beginning of the film, in the role of Holly Golightly peering into the windows of Tiffany & Co while munching on a croissant from a brown paper bag, she raised the bar on what has become a wardrobe staple.
With her incomparable elegance and poise, she harnessed the power of the LBD. No other actress or model has made such an impact, before or since.
When it comes to designers, Coco Chanel did more than any other to popularise the dress. This year marks the 80th anniversary of her first LBD, a slash-necked, short silk dress with only diagonal pin-tucks as decoration, American Vogue dubbed it the “Ford”, for it was as ubiquitous as that brand.
Radically simple, it nevertheless typified Chanel’s chic, languid style.
This month, Harper’s Bazaar celebrates the dress, this time worn by the gamine and beautiful actress Natalie Portman, and it looks as of-the-moment now as it did on Hepburn more than four decades ago.
This is the beauty of the little black dress: it is utterly timeless. Its contemporary appeal, however, grows and grows. You can now exercise to the Little Black Dress workout or whittle down your waist with the Little Black Dress diet – which will be crucial if you want to squeeze into one of Chanel’s severely corseted satin ribbon mini-dresses this winter.
More little black dress dos and dont’s from the UK Telegraph
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