For avid fans of Audrey Hepburn, seeing 500 lots of some of her highly prized possessions come up for auction is about as exciting as it gets. The entire Audrey Hepburn Personal Collection at Christie’s in London reached almost $7.8M in total sales.
For avid fans of Audrey Hepburn, seeing 500 lots of some of her highly prized possessions come up for auction is about as exciting as it gets. The entire Audrey Hepburn Personal Collection at Christie’s in London reached almost $7.8M in total sales.
Capturing Audrey Hepburn on Film
The most popular of these were two lots of 1964 gelatin silver prints taken of Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Under the hammer, Lot 167 fetched £87,500 from an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000, and Lot 168 sold at £93,750 from an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000. Incredible!
There are a total of 100 photographs in the collection showing the beautiful Hepburn in a 100 different poses on set and on location by many famous photographers. These stills and contact sheets are priceless and will stir the hearts of many a keen collector.
On the Set of Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Others might say the Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961 script is the most noteworthy item in this sale. Dog-eared and annotated in Hepburn’s own turquoise ink, it’s the kind of thing that evokes the spirit of this unforgettable lady and gives you an inside glimpse of how she worked on set.
For instance, she remarks on the first time she met Cary Grant and what kind of man she thought he was. Other notes show changes of words to suit her elocution, and wardrobe changes to match her own personal style. For a fan to own such an item would be exhilarating. The script was estimated at £60,000 to £90,00 but realized £632,750.
Audrey Hepburn as a Liberating Fashion Icon
Audrey Hepburn was a hard-working, single mother who opened doors for other women in the world who wanted to get away from the 1950s’ stereotype of the consummate wife, mother, and housekeeper. She became a role model for women everywhere for her style, her class, and her humanitarian soul. She showed women you could make it on your own and earn enough money to support yourself and your children too.
On another level, Hepburn had an enormous influence on women’s fashion. With a distinct personal style, she knew exactly what she wanted in her wardrobe. Making alterations and changes to her character’s outfits while on set, Hepburn’s fashion sense overflowed into her working life on film. The Audrey Hepburn Personal Collection featured about 50 lots of dresses, shoes, and outfits.
Clean, bold, classic lines define Hepburn’s fashion choice and the designer outfits she wore like Givenchy, Ralph Lauren and Valentino. Her style was elegant and portrayed a strength in femininity that the world was only starting to appreciate. Her fashion sense appealed to every kind of woman for its empowering aesthetic. Hepburn was known for stepping into a little black dress and going out to astonish the world.
One such little black dress is a Givenchy Couture gown of black satin that Hepburn wore in the 1963 movie, Charade. A highly collectible item, the dress has a label on the inside with the inscription, "designed for Audrey Hepburn as Regina ‘Reggie’ Lampert in the 1963 Universal production Charade." The Givenchy dress fetched £68,750.
Curating Audrey Hepburn
One of the most exciting parts of the Audrey Hepburn Personal Collection is its thoughtful curation. You could walk away with not just one item from the Sabrina set but a whole collection of your own pieces, commemorating some of the greatest movies made in early Hollywood. Imagine how beautiful that would look in a showcase – a script of Sabrina, a still photograph of Audrey Hepburn herself from the same movie, and an item of clothing, an accessory or piece of jewellery worn by the icon herself.
But what about your average bidder who has only a couple of thousand dollars to invest? You could easily curate your own collection and go home with an original 1964 gelatin silver print of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady by Cecil Beaton for $4,600, paired with a personal, handwritten note from the same man congratulating Hepburn on her performance in My Fair Lady for $5,850, and finish it off with a handbag for $4,600. That’s quite a collection and a sound investment. In ten years’ time who knows how much you could get at auction for such a bounty.
The Audrey Hepburn Personal Collection took a long time to come to auction. It is rumoured her two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti, argued over releasing the items. It couldn’t have been easy parting with some of the most remarkable pieces, but it’s a collection of loving memories and painstaking curation. Just exactly how do you put a price tag on your mother’s private possessions?