Little Black Dress on the Block

Capote connected clothing is in the news once again!

A December 20th fashion article in the Columbus Dispatch hailed the three classic beauty and fashion icons of our times-Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The same story reported that a recent poll of fashion designers conducted by the film series Grand Classics(in conjunction with American Express) nominated Breakfast at Tiffany’s (based on a novella by Truman Capote and starring Audrey Hepburn) as the most influential fashion movie. Cited were the black plastic Ray-Ban Wayfarers Hepburn wore that ushered in a new trend in eyewear. Perhaps more famous than her oversized specs, however, was her little black dress; the dress, accessorized with pearls, that became the cocktail party uniform for millions of women.

In this case, the dress was a sleeveless Givenchy sheath, simple and elegant, that sold recently at auction at Christie’s in London for an astounding $807,000, almost six times the pre sale estimate. Its designer, Hubert de Givenchy donated the dress to the auction, the proceeds of which will go to a relief charity called City of Joy Aid in India. This is a fitting scenario for a dress made famous by Audrey Hepburn, beloved for her timeless fashion sense and social conscience.