Audrey

The poster went up on my wall at age twelve or thirteen. The black and white close-up was the last piece in my carefully assembled bedroom – Audrey Hepburn’s eyes looking out over a purple bed and a pink inflatable chair. I wonder how many Audreys have graced similar walls, how many thousands of beehives and cigarette holders there are displayed across the world?

The poster has been gone a while now, rolled up and donated to a charity shop. My lilac walls were re-painted in cream, and what was once a minimal space has steadily cluttered with mirrors, jewellery, clothes, stacks of books, old cameras, magazines, arts' materials and sheets of paper. That portrait blue-tacked above my radiator no longer felt like an expression of my identity, but an image of the conformity embraced by my peers. We loved Audrey Hepburn, along with VW camper vans, surfer labels, pinboards, candles and fairy lights. It was one of several repeated motifs, having little to do with the woman herself and much more to do with our tentative attempts to define ourselves – as a group.

Unfortunately, this appropriation of her image meant that for several years thereafter I felt that she was somehow a cliché – a predictable choice to cite as a style icon or inspirational person, and that I had to choose individuals personal to me, rather than globally adored figures. I’m happy to admit now that this was snobbery, but will add that even if I wasn’t publicly waxing lyrical about her, I was still watching her films and gasping at the gorgeous outfits. However, she – or at least what she stood for – largely avoided mention.

I recently received a beautiful photography book called ‘Audrey: The 60s’ from Aurum Press. The range of film stills and photo shoots  - some of which were new to me - provoked a re-evaluation of my feelings about Hepburn.  I began to unpick the knotted set of references and assumptions surrounding the actress, trying to tease out my personal appreciation of her from the more tricky cultural significance she holds.

That poster I owned of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly is similar to the Warhol silk print of Marilyn Monroe – so ubiquitous as to have lost nearly all sense of original meaning. The magazine quizzes and press releases asking whether one is an ‘Audrey’ or a ‘Marilyn’ typify this, the inference being: do you want to be slender or curvy; graceful or bubbly; beautiful or a sex symbol? These two actresses are often reduced to a 2D set of attributes placed in opposition to each other. There’s no middle ground, no acknowledgment of the lives behind the name. The reality is that Audrey’s slight stature was the result of malnutrition during WWII, while Marilyn’s high IQ did little to stop her being typecast as a ‘dumb blonde.’ I have read accounts of both stars' lives (and indeed that word does seem appropriate – for similar to the stars of the night sky, the light they cast continues long after death) and respect their achievements hugely. But to take them in as a whole – their work, their lives, their image – requires more than a cursory mention.

With Hepburn (as with Monroe) image plays a huge part. That little black dress, those pearls, the sparkling jewel in her hair: they have come to represent something almost entirely divorced from the film character and the actress. The portrait is a cultural, recognizable symbol in the same way that the Rolling Stones lips are. And like that particular logo, it is sometimes bought or sported by those who have little idea of or interest in the original source – in this case, the glorious film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  For of course, the film is indeed glorious. Dodgy racial stereotyping aside, it is an infectious and rather haunting work demonstrating Hepburn’s versatility. Unlike the demure princess of Roman Holiday or intelligent bookshop employee in Funny Face, her character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was irresponsible, glamorous, complicated and willing to “visit the powder room” to earn money. It’s almost ironic that Hepburn is most famed for a role quite unlike many of her others, although it perhaps signaled the start of her divergence into more complex characters. I have yet to see ‘Wait until Dark’ and ‘Two for the Road’ and savour the thought of curling up to watch each of them. Several years on, my appreciation of Audrey Hepburn is more than a poster on a wall. It is a deep admiration for the adversity she faced, the humility she demonstrated and the elegance she displayed. To lapse into praise is easy, for so much has already been written about her that words fly with ease; adjectives such as ‘modest’ and ‘charming’. They're the kinds of words that are meant honestly, but like the Breakfast at Tiffany’s portrait, have become dulled by repetition.

But what hasn’t dulled is the possibility of being dazzled by the rich archive of imagery left behind. There are so many photographs and shoots worth diving back through. The selection found in ‘Audrey: The 60s’ both refreshed and kindled my imagination. Hepburn’s face was soulful and expressive, whether it was framed by the elaborate constructions of hair in ‘My Fair Lady’ or the cropped fringe in ‘How to Steal a Million.’ This celebratory coffee table book, with the satisfying size of the images and sumptuous colour co-ordination of the spreads, is a testament to that mesmerising beauty. Turning the thick pages is a luxurious experience; discovering previously unpublished photos a delight. Although I initially found the accompanying quotes (from friends, photographers and Hepburn herself)  almost intrusive, they build up and iterate the fullness of Audrey Hepburn’s skill, charisma and integrity. 

The outfit is quite self-explanatory, although my emulation of Holly Golightly was completed using an entirely second hand set of materials: original 60s dress from my paternal grandmother, shoes from charity shop and the gloves, pearls and jewellery all vintage from family members. I had to make do with a paint brush in place of the cigarette holder, but I love the black line like a swoop of ink. Thank you to the effervescent and ever-fabulous Flo for taking the photos. Exciting news about a joint photography venture of ours coming soon... 

A taste of the images in the book to whet the appetite, taken from the website. Thank you to Aurum for the copy: 

Audrey 2012-11-23T14:29:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown