The History Behind Audrey Hepburn's White Givenchy Dress From Sabrina

For many fashion lovers, Audrey Hepburn may always be associated with the iconic Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Even just hearing the actress' name, visions of her standing in front of a window, coffee and danish in hand, come rushing to the front of our minds, and suddenly, we can so clearly picture that sleek black dress accessorized with a multi-strand necklace, black gloves, a tiara, and sunglasses.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with Holly — there's a reason her specific sense of style lives on and has been referenced by celebrities since 1961 — but when talking about Hepburn's best on-screen outfits? We'd like to throw Sabrina into the mix, too. While the character's white, floral-embroidered gown is a bit more under-the-radar than designs from Hepburn's other films (including Funny Face, which is even referenced in Emily in Paris) it's arguably the best thing the actress ever wore.

This particular piece was created by the same talented man behind many of Hepburn's memorable fashion moments (including those from Breakfast at Tiffany's), Hubert de Givenchy himself. Although Edith Head is credited as Sabrina's costume designer, Hepburn actually visited Givenchy's Paris atelier prior to filming, in hopes of recruiting the designer to make Sabrina's outfits. He didn't have time to make her something new, but he did let Hepburn pick out some pieces from last season's collection — and the elaborate white number, which actually came in two pieces and is more of layered look, was among the items she chose.

That interaction ended up leading to a lifelong working relationship between the the star and the designer. Hepburn was even once quoted as saying, "Givenchy's clothes are the only ones I feel myself in. He is more than a designer, he is a creator of personality."

Between the mixture of black and white, the addition of long white gloves, and how perfectly it hugged Hepburn's body, there's no denying this piece in particular was extremely special. It was so special, in fact, that years later, it ended up in Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds's personal collection, and was reportedly auctioned off in 2017 for $170,000.

Sometimes, outfits from movies and TV shows stay on our mind long after we've stopped watching. Made a Scene celebrates specific on-screen looks and explores why they're (still) worth obsessing over.

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