At the same famous lavish party we see Paul wearing his slim blue suit and skinny tie. The 1960s ushered in a more refined and thinner tie for men, replacing the previous long and chunky neckties. Details like a simple folded pocket square complete the sophisticated look.

Holly in her elegant trench (which she will put on again in the final scene) sports an altogether iconic ‘60s look when paired with her oversized glasses and the sheer scarf tied around her head. Underneath she wears a black pique polo and tweed pencil skirt. The look’s simplicity of line and colour is in keeping with the chic aesthetic.

 When Holly and Paul go out in Manhattan, she chooses to wear a double-breasted burnt orange wool coat, brown fur hat, dark pumps and her signature big sunglasses.

The coat, designed by Hubert de Givenchy, had a tie at the back and 7/8 kimono sleeves. The particular coat gained great popularity after the film was released.

Worth noting is the use of fashion to reflect the evolution of the relationship between Holly and Paul throughout the film. Holly starts to wear more casual, colorful clothes when she is with Paul. It seems as though in those moments, we can see the “real” Holly of her youth, and not just the hardened varnish of her adopted Manhattanite persona.

Holly’s pink “Princess” party dress—also by Givenchy—is accented by a bow at the waist and accessorised by its matching coat, sparkling tiara, and silver clutch. Givenchy used bright colours, intricate textures, and airy embellishments with a light hand, which made his clothes simultaneously elegant and wearable. The dress is a contrast to Holly’s otherwise simple gowns, and creates a very uncharacteristic look.

In the film’s final scenes we see Holly and Paul wearing matching Burberry beige trench coats. Underneath Holly’s tightly wrapped twill trench is another black dress: another example of her standard glamorous uniform. Paul is wearing his beige overcoat over a grey woolen jacket, white button-down collared shirt and black tie, typical of his style throughout the movie.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s wardrobe, makeup, and hairstyles have continued to influence fashion in the five decades since the film’s release.  The movie cemented Audrey Hepburn as a style icon, and many of its costumes achieved a recognisability that surpassed even that of the film. Its influence on costume design and classic style is well-established, and as relevant in the present as it was in the ‘60s.

Fashion Fact: the model of sunglasses that Audrey is wearing in the opening scene is called “The Manhattan,” it was created by designer Oliver Goldsmith, also known as “OG”. OG is one of the few eyewear manufacturers left that still create handmade glasses.  For the fiftieth Anniversary of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Oliver Goldsmith relaunched the famous frame Holly wears throughout the film.

Fashion Fact: Hubert de Givenchy dressed Hepburn in nearly all of her films, and the idea of every outfit was the same: simple, functional pieces with an emphasis on line and shape.

Fashion Fact: The costume supervisor on the film was Edith Head—the eight-time Academy Award-winning film costumer who outfitted Audrey in many of her movies.

Fashion Fact: The stunning Givenchy gown that Hepburn is wearing in the opening scene of the film went to auction in 2006 at Christie’s and was sold for $923,187.00

Fashion Fact: Although the movie revolves around Tiffany & Co., none of Holly’s jewelry comes from the famous store.

Fashion Fact: The pink frock that Holly wore on a date with a man she intends to marry was sold for a whopping $192,000 in 2007 at Christie’s auction.

Film Facts: Audrey Hepburn was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, Henry Mancini’s compositions for the film score won both a Grammy and an Oscar. Paramount Pictures wanted to remove Audrey Hepburn’s voice in the film singing Moon River and she flatly refused to allow it. Truman Capote was very angry about the changes made to his story, particularly the watering down of Holly’s moral view of life, which extremely risqué for the time.

Film & Fashion Fact: Holly Golightly was based on Dorian Leigh Parker, the internationally famous American model who had started modelling in the 1940s at the age of 27. She was a great friend of Truman Capote, who was mesmerized by her.

Kateryna Kozlova

Other Fashion in Film posts in this series:

8 ½ Fellini

La Dolce Vita