La Belle Vie: Hepburns
Oh, how I wanted to be Audrey! She was so effortlessly chic, so playfully girlish, so unquestionably adorable. I started to wear ribbons in my pony tail and tie sweaters nonchalantly around my shoulders in an attempt to capture her devil-may-care charm and joie de vivre. But after I reached 14, it was clear I was never going to be Audrey. I was just too, well... big. My features were too strong, my shoulders were too broad, my presence was too imposing. The more I grew, the more obvious it became. I was going to have to look for a new role model.
Then along came Katharine. There was nothing playful or girlish about her — she was all woman. Glamorous, outspoken, devastatingly beautiful. This was a woman who wore her strength on her sleeve for all to see, who famously said, "I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex." This was the woman for me.
Hailing from different sides of the pond, Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn had very different styles. Audrey was all fitted shifts, ankle-grazer pants and ballet pumps; Katharine was crisp white shirts, tailored wide-leg pants and mannish brogues.
"I believe in manicures," Audrey famously declared. "I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink." She always looked perfect — beautifully groomed and delicately feminine.
Katharine, on the other hand, is the woman who once said, "dressing up is a bore." My favorite picture of her shows her in a man's shirt, her hair loosely scraped back, a slick of lipstick on her lips, her face fresh and gorgeously freckled. This photograph is the reason I always turn up the collar of my shirt.
Whichever Hepburn you identify with, their styles are eternal and unfading. Channel Audrey in a fifties-style dress with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. Match your ankle-grazers with a pussy-bow blouse and some ballet flats for some Parisian chic. Add a ladylike handbag to your everyday wardrobe for an injection of old-school glamor.
If Katharine's your girl, try pairing some tailored, high-waisted wide-leg trousers (I love these from Yves Saint Laurent, or these from See by Chloe for a softer look) with a sharp white shirt and some red lipstick. For full-on forties glam, you can't do better than this Oscar de la Renta polka-dot dress; for a more modern take, try this shirt dress from Dahlia. To amp up the androgynous-chic factor, add a pair of mannish brogues or loafers to your wardrobe.
I shall always admire Audrey, my first style crush. I'll always be a little bit sad that I can never look as innocent and adorable as her. But Katharine is just as wonderful — more so, in my eyes — and she's nobody's second best. She showed me that there truly is a style icon out there for everyone.
Which Hepburn's style speaks to you? Do you identify best with Audrey or Katharine? Vote for your favorite girl here. Results will be announced in next week's column.