Audrey Hepburn

"Hepburn would refer to herself as “fake thin” because her upper body and waist was especially thin and would give her an overall appearance of slightness."

AKA keira knightly syndrome. Though audreys a bit slimmer and less fluctuating than keira...
 
On July 2nd, an exhibition titled Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon started in London. According to the organisers, these photos of Audrey have never been published before (I hope this is true and they haven't been posted yet).
Enjoy! :flower:

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I'm so jealous that you guys get to see that exhibit! Audrey is my idol, I would give an arm and a leg to see an entire exhibition about her >_<
 
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eadb05850b5528f56746764f8feefad6.jpg


Just found this image and she looks so much thicker than the usual Audrey images I've seen. This was 1949 so she was 20 years old here but it's so interesting how people can go from average to ethereal by loosing a few pounds
 
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eadb05850b5528f56746764f8feefad6.jpg


Just found this image and she looks so much thicker than the usual Audrey images I've seen. This was 1949 so she was 20 years old here but it's so interesting how people can go from average to ethereal by loosing a few pounds

Her poise is still ethereal to me.
 
eadb05850b5528f56746764f8feefad6.jpg


Just found this image and she looks so much thicker than the usual Audrey images I've seen. This was 1949 so she was 20 years old here but it's so interesting how people can go from average to ethereal by loosing a few pounds

I did read that she was a little heavier than usual around this age because she'd experienced a severe lack of food during WW2 and so after the war was over and food was more freely available she gained a bit of weight.

Considering these circumstances, I actually don't think she looks too bad; especially since this seems to have been a brief and very quickly reversed situation. I've always adored her though so am possibly a bit blinkered...every time I was in London I used to go and look at her portrait in the NPG for inspiration. She was amazing.
 
@bambil @vanitas

This looks like a still from Sauce Piquante, so early 20's is a good guess. The thing is, when Audrey was cast in Gigi, she gained almost 20 pounds. The director demanded that she lose it- this might also be from that period. Audrey has been quoted in saying that that was the heaviest she'd ever been (outside of pregnancy, of course)

I'm kind of an expert on Audrey Hepburn...
 
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@bambil @vanitas

This looks like a still from Sauce Piquante, so early 20's is a good guess. The thing is, when Audrey was cast in Gigi, she gained almost 20 pounds. The director demanded that she lose it- this might also be from that period. Audrey has been quoted in saying that that was the heaviest she'd ever been (outside of pregnancy, of course)

I'm kind of an expert on Audrey Hepburn...
Why did she gain 20lbs after being cast in Gigi? I love that movie.
 
Why did she gain 20lbs after being cast in Gigi? I love that movie.
Not a movie, actually, but a stage play. The movie adaptation of Gigi never used Audrey, much to the disappointment of the production exec's. Anyway, Gigi (the play) was Audrey's first major role, followed very quickly thereafter by Roman Holiday. For the first time (with the cheque advance given to her) Audrey and her mother had enough money that they could live comfortably since the end of the war. Prior to this they had both been in a small London flat, living off of Audrey's chorus girl and modelling paycheques, which didn't provide stable income. Between her minor film appearance in Monte Carlo Baby (1951) and the beginning of Gigi rehearsal (a bit later in '51) she had quite a few weeks of binging on chocolate, her comfort food. Upon her arrival in New York, director Raymond Rouleau was aghast at her weight gain and demanded to "get the girl (we) hired back."

I don't have my copies on hand, but the information that I know off the top of my head can be found in the biographies which I've provided a citation for below (hope you don't mind MLA format ;D)

Ferrer, Sean Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit. New York: Atria, 2005. Print.
Spoto, Donald. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. New York: Three Rivers, 2006. Print.
 
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Ferrer, Sean Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit. New York: Atria, 2005. Print.
Spoto, Donald. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. New York: Three Rivers, 2006. Print.
:lol::highfive::luvluv:
 
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I'm nothing if not thorough :p I'm like the Hermione of Audrey Hepburn facts (no, seriously, I've got at least 15 books about her and every movie she was ever in. Yes, even that godawful Western). If there's anything you want to know about, I'm the person to ask. Or if you'd just like some book recommendations :luvluv:
 
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Oh, yes please! :flower:
Well obviously the two I've already named- An Elegant Spirit was written by her son Sean (from her first marriage), Enchantment is one of the more comprehensive biographies I've found. It's dry, but very informative. How to be Lovely is a light hearted book about manners; basically how to emulate Audrey.

Audrey and Givenchy is a photo journal on her collaboration and friendship with M. Givenchy himself, it's a great coffee table book.

What Would Audrey Do? is a lot like How to be Lovely, but it also adds some lovely anecdotes about the woman herself. I'd recommend this one highly.

If you're just getting started, and the only thing you've seen is Breakfast at Tiffany's, then 5th Avenue, 5AM is a good read for you, since it centers around that film (and includes a lot of interesting facts). Moreover, it examines Audrey's presence as an atypical woman in Hollywood (since, at the time, she wasn't regarded as much as a sex symbol, but more as an elegant "woman of the hour" type person). This book, in particular, has a lot of feminist undertones.
 
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Not a movie, actually, but a stage play. The movie adaptation of Gigi never used Audrey, much to the disappointment of the production exec's. Anyway, Gigi (the play) was Audrey's first major role, followed very quickly thereafter by Roman Holiday. For the first time (with the cheque advance given to her) Audrey and her mother had enough money that they could live comfortably since the end of the war. Prior to this they had both been in a small London flat, living off of Audrey's chorus girl and modelling paycheques, which didn't provide stable income. Between her minor film appearance in Monte Carlo Baby (1951) and the beginning of Gigi rehearsal (a bit later in '51) she had quite a few weeks of binging on chocolate, her comfort food. Upon her arrival in New York, director Raymond Rouleau was aghast at her weight gain and demanded to "get the girl (we) hired back."

I don't have my copies on hand, but the information that I know off the top of my head can be found in the biographies which I've provided a citation for below (hope you don't mind MLA format ;D)

Ferrer, Sean Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit. New York: Atria, 2005. Print.
Spoto, Donald. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. New York: Three Rivers, 2006. Print.
Ah, yes it was Leslie Caron. Audrey would have been much better but I still like the movie.
 
Can't say I've seen it. Read the play, though, and it was very interesting :) So you'd say that the movie is worth the time?
I was raised on all the old musicals from the 50s so for me they have a certain nostalgic resonance. All of my memories of those musicals are definitely rose-colored, if you will. Doris Day, Esther Williams, Judy Garland, Debbie Reynolds...I love all those broads. So, yes, I do recommend it but you will be disappointed that it's not Audrey. The period costumes are absolutely stunning and that always draws me in (much like My Fair Lady and The Harvey Girls).
 
I know this thread hasn't been updated in a while but I found this and really wanted to share it. Behold, Audrey speaking French.


:luv:
 
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