Breakfast at Tiffany's

I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's again recently.  Le sigh.  What a beautiful and fun movie, and Holly Golightly's small wardrobe is to die for.  Forget the fact that Audrey Hepburn is tiny and all the clothing is by Givenchy, it really makes me crave simple and classic choices.  I knew someone in the blogosphere must have catalogued each outfit and I wasn't wrong.  There is a great roundup here and I also love this WikiHow:

Watching this movie re-inspired me to make my life more glamorous and simple.  So I asked myself some ways I could do this:

- The first thing that came to mind was to get rid of my fuchsia pink fleece winter robe (even though it's less than two years old).  I just feel frumpy in it even though it is cosy.  If it isn't there I won't wear it.  Instead, I can use the brand new white cotton robe that is lined in terry which my mother bought me at my request as a gift.  I'm worried about getting body cream on it so it stays in my wardrobe unused!  That's for winter, in summer I have a chic robe already - silky and satiny in deep grey with a floral print (stylish not old lady).

- Go back to really classic clothing combinations and don't be afraid of black.

- Be more easygoing and don't get het up over little things that don't matter in the long run.  Be carefree.

- Play around with my hair more and not rely so much on the ponytail.  Work on my chignon technique!

- Take inspiration from the way Holly Golightly speaks.  She calls people darling and cajoles them along in a charming way.  I don't want to sound affected but I could be less practical and more whimsical in my speech just for fun.  At least loosen up a little!  She is also always smiling and happy for most of the movie.  Nothing weighs heavy on her shoulders.

What made me want to re-watch Breakfast at Tiffany's was a book I just finished called Being Audrey Hepburn by Michell Kriegman.  It was an impulse order from the library and the main character is a 19 year old from Jersey.  I didn't hold high hopes for it but was prepared to give it the 100-page go.  Well, I was very pleasantly surprised - such a delightful book to read and full of references to Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany's.  The author is obviously a major fan.  I now want to watch/re-watch all her other movies!

Here are two inspiring quotes I noted down from Being Audrey Hepburn:

Nan’s door opened and there she was, dressed in a fluffy lavender bathrobe, her cheeks rosy, her silver hair pulled into a chic knot.

“Nan, you’re ok!’” I said.

“Of course, dear, I was just taking a bubble bath.”  She stretched her arms out to hug me.  “Like liquid Prozac, isn’t it?”

“It’s so lovely to see you,” she said from her bedroom as she changed into her clothes.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to interrupt your bath.”

“Oh, not a problem.  I’m quite shrivelled up and wrinkled as it is,” she said with a laugh.  “Although the sea salts were soothing.”

I heard the distinctive snap of her Chanel compact, the one she still had from the sixties that she continuously refilled herself.  Don’t ask why, but to me that little click had the definitive sound of luxury.  It always summoned the smiling, elegant image of Nan.

She entered the room all bright and shiny, with a light blush highlighting her cheeks, an absolute minimum of makeup, totally put together in seconds.  I marvelled at how she did that.

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(on the designer stores on Fifth Avenue):

Judging by these stores, the world was an intelligent, exquisitely tasteful place, with no detail too small to refine.  Here, designers and craftspeople infused mere everyday garments – a shirt, a skirt, a pair of flats – with creativity and perfection.