Where is Audrey Hepburn’s Little Black Dress from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’?
When you think about Audrey Hepburn — who died 32 years ago, on Jan. 20, 1993, at the age of 63 — one image likely comes to mind: the actress in a black sleeveless gown and enormous jeweled necklace, in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As is true with many film artifacts, the story of exactly where the dresses used in the film ended up is complicated. But the good news is that you fans can visit one of Hepburn’s iconic dresses … if you can get yourself to Spain.
How Audrey Became Holly
Everett Collection
By 1961, Hepburn was almost a decade into her career, after exploding onto the scene with 1953’s Roman Holiday, her first starring role, which won her a Best Actress Oscar. But despite her fame, landing the role of Holly Golightly wasn’t a slam-dunk for Hepburn — Truman Capote, who wrote the original novel the film is based on, wanted the studio to go with Marilyn Monroe. After Monroe turned it down, the studio approached two other actresses who often played “sexpots” (as Holly was originally conceived): Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak. Both actresses also passed.
And once the studio offered the role to Hepburn, even she was hesitant to take it, as the shy actress worried she couldn’t do the extroverted Holly justice. As was noted in a New York Times profile of the actress at the time, “She had serious reservations about her own ability to play the part competently. She still worries whether she did a good job.”
How Holly Got Her Dress
Fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy and famed Hollywood Costume designer Edith Head. Getty Images
One thing Hepburn didn’t worry about? Her iconic dress, which was originally created by designer Hubert de Givenchy. Hepburn and Givenchy first met in 1954, when she was looking for a designer to create her costumes for Sabrina; she had been turned away by Balenciaga, so she sought out the younger and less-proven Givenchy. The two developed a friendship and working relationship, and by the time work on Breakfast at Tiffany’s began in late 1960, Hepburn was ready to have Givenchy design Holly Golightly’s iconic look.
Everett Collection
He sewed up a sample gown, and Hepburn brought two copies to Paramount. The studio immediately had a problem: the stunning gowns were, well, too short (we were not quite yet in the mini-skirt era). Legendary costume designer Edith Head re-created the gowns, with the tops following Givenchy’s original design, but the bottoms covering up more of the leg.
It’s the Edith Head-designed dresses you see on Hepburn in the film, and those, sadly, are gone, and likely were destroyed by Head after filming ended.
Where Can You See the Dress?
Happily, four versions of the Givenchy-made Hepburn dress still exist. One copy is preserved in the Givenchy company’s private archives, one was given to a Hepburn family friend, and one copy was auctioned off for £467,200 ($569,551) in 2006.
But, most importantly for fans, one copy is on public exhibit at Spain’s Museo del Traje (Museum of Garment), a museum dedicated to fashion and textiles in the city of Madrid.
But remember: any guests who burst into “Moon River” will be promptly asked to leave.
Remind 
Hollywood Glamour
May 2020
Celebrate the most glamorous leading ladies from the Golden Age of Hollywood
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